NGOs Appeal to Ruling Party to not 'Sabotage' Georgia's EU Candidacy Status
By Liza Mchedlidze
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
Non-governmental organizations appeal to the authorities and point out that any legislative initiative or action that would oppose the basic values of the European Union would be a sabotage of the status. More than 140 organizations signed the statement.
"Last month, the citizens of Georgia once again proved that we are loyal to European values and we are not going to deviate from the path leading to the European Union. We showed that the Georgian people deserve the status of a candidate by a wide public consolidation around the idea of joining the European Union as a national idea.
According to various reports, the European Commission may recommend granting Georgia the status of a candidate for EU membership in October 2023, if Georgia continues to work on reforms in the next period and does not worsen the situation of human rights and democracy in the country.
The government is fully responsible for receiving the candidate status. It is necessary for the government to reconsider and strengthen its efforts to achieve the historic opportunity. Any legislative initiative or action that would oppose the fundamental values of the European Union would be sabotage of the status acceptance and an action contrary to Article 78 of the Constitution," the statement reads.
NGOs indicate that the main goal of their activities as civil society organizations will be to make maximum efforts to obtain candidate status. According to them, at the end of the year, the whole society should proudly announce that Georgia is a candidate country for EU membership.
