18 Georgian NGOs slam authorities for 'irresponsible attitude towards European integration
Georgian NGOs criticized the government for its irresponsible attitude toward Eurointegration
18 non-governmental organizations in Georgia issued a joint statement saying that the attitude of the ruling Georgian Dream party to the process of European integration is unconstitutional.
According to the organizations, such “irresponsible and dangerous” statements not only cause serious damage to the country’s European integration process and contradict the Georgian Constitution, but also jeopardize the choice of the European path made by the overwhelming majority of the Georgian population.
“According to Article 78 of the Constitution of Georgia, the constitutional bodies are obliged to take all measures within their powers to ensure the full integration of Georgia into the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization”, the statement says.
According to it, obtaining the status of an EU candidate country is a mandatory stage of EU membership, without which no European country will be able to join the Union.
According to non-governmental organizations, Prime Minister Garibashvili’s belittling of the status of an EU candidate and his statements about the “symbolic” meaning of the status pose a serious threat.
The signatory organizations call on the authorities to:
- immediately reaffirm their readiness to follow the European aspirations of the Georgian society and announce concrete steps that the Georgian government will take in the coming days;
- Immediately present to the EU and the people of Georgia a plan for systematic solutions to the problems outlined in the resolution of the European Parliament;
- Immediately stop the dangerous and criminal rhetoric that minimizes Georgia’s chances of obtaining EU candidate status.
A resolution on violations of media freedom in Georgia and the safety of journalists was approved by the European Parliament on 9 June.
The European Parliament supports granting Georgia the status of a candidate member of the EU. However, it also calls on the European Council to consider imposing personal sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishvili.
“This resolution is worth nothing”, “The European Parliament has fallen victim to fakes”, “European parliamentarians want to open a second front in Georgia” – these and similar statements were made in response to the adoption of the resolution by members of the ruling party.
Now Georgia is waiting for the conclusion of the European Commission, which, according to a JAMnews source, should be made public on June 17.
