Georgian President: Ukraine’s struggle helped us receive EU questionnaire, we should be grateful

Georgia recieved EU candidate questionnaire

According to Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, Georgia should thank Ukraine for receiving the questionnaire for EU membership.

On April 11, EU Commissioner Oliver Warheim handed over a questionnaire to Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili in Luxembourg.

The questionnaire is the official document used by the EU in the country assessment process. Questions cover the human rights situation in the country, reforms, education, culture, agriculture, and many other issues. A candidate country may receive thousands of questions requiring complex answers.

At a special briefing, Zurabishvili noted that the application for EU membership is an unusual, new chance for Georgia.

“Today is one of the most significant days in the history of Georgia. Today we received a questionnaire from the EU, which probably would not have been expected in a few years. This is an incredible new opportunity for our country”, she said.

According to Zurabishvili, the EU “due to this tragic situation” decided to speed up this process and make it more political than bureaucratic.

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On March 3, Georgia applied for EU membership. The ruling party planned to apply in 2024, but the war in Ukraine has accelerated the application process for Ukraine itself, and this, in turn, has accelerated processes in Georgia and Moldova.

As early as March 1, the government insisted that the country was not yet ready to apply and that the process should begin in 2024. However, the authorities changed their mind after a mass protest in Tbilisi and demands to urgently apply for EU membership.