By the Mission of Georgia to the EU, Belgium and Luxembourg.
The progress of EU-Georgia relations will be high on the agenda of the 4th Eastern Partnership Summit which will gather Heads of State and Government from the EU and it Eastern Partners in Riga (May 21-22). Participants are expected to reconfirm the strategic importance of EU’s Eastern Partnership and their support to Georgia’s European aspirations.
Georgia has made great progress in meeting European standards since the last Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius (November 2013). The Georgian government in record time negotiated, initialled and signed on 27 June 2014 an Association Agreement, including a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area with the EU (provisional entry into force since 1 September 2014). The ENP country progress report published on 25 March 2015 noted Georgia’s continued progress on reforms throughout 2014 and highlighted “achievements notably in the areas of human rights and fundamental freedoms and substantial progress in the visa liberalisation process.”
Visa liberalisation, which will demonstrate the tangible benefit of EU integration to citizens, is a key priority for Georgia. On 29 October 2014 the Commission’s 2nd progress report on the implementation of the “Action Plan on Visa Liberalisation” confirmed the country had successfully completed the first phase of the process and could move to the second phase. Since then, Georgia has completed all the remaining technical criteria.
At Riga, the Georgian government trusts that this state of affairs will be recognised, and that, in line with the Eastern Partnership principles of differentiation and “more for more”, a decision will be made granting visa-free travel to the Schengen area for Georgian citizens. This would be an important outcome of the Summit, for Georgia but also for the region and the EU.
The Riga Summit, the first since the signature of the Association Agreement, the Russian annexation of Crimea, the war in Ukraine, and the signature of Russia’s so-called “treaties” with Georgia’s occupied regions: Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region, comes at a critical time for the future of the Eastern Partnership programme and of the region. It is of the utmost importance that the Summit deliver a strong statement of EU commitment to the region, and concrete initiatives for the further integration of those countries who have chosen a European path – regardless of Russian opposition. Granting visa liberalisation to Georgia, a clear frontrunner of the programme, would boost credibility of the EU and the Eastern Partnership and thereby security and continued reform in the region.
