Georgia becomes EU candidate country

Georgia has achieved a major milestone in its European integration process by becoming a candidate country for the European Union membership. The Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Garibashvili, announced the announcement at a government administration briefing on December 14, 2023.

According to the Prime Minister, this is the country’s and the people’s victory. Garibashvili hailed the decision as a historic victory for the country and the people and expressed his gratitude to the EU leaders and institutions for their strong support and trust.

He also congratulated his team, his party, and the founder of his party, Bidzina Ivanishvili, for their contribution to the successful governance and reforms that led to this outcome.

Garibashvili recalled that he had signed the association agreement with the EU in 2014, completed the visa-free negotiations in 2016, and officially applied for EU membership in 2022 amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

He said that Georgia had received the European perspective in 2022, which proved that the country would become a member of the European family.

He also invited the citizens to join him at Liberty Square on December 15 at 17:00 to celebrate the historic victory of the country and the people. He said the day should be a common, national celebration and standard triumph.

Georgia applied for EU membership on March 3, 2022, and received a positive opinion from the European Commission on June 17, 2022. The European Council stated that it was ready to grant the status of candidate country to Georgia once the priorities specified in the Commission’s opinion were addressed. Georgia is the first country in the Eastern Partnership to achieve this status.

Georgia’s EU membership aspirations are supported by most of its population, political parties, and strategic partners, such as Germany. Georgia’s EU integration process is also seen as a way to enhance its security and stability in the face of Russian aggression and occupation of its territories.