“I share your concern about the stalled judicial and electoral reforms which are at the core of the EU–Georgia Association Agreement,” says the letter sent by EU’s High Representative for Security and Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, in response to a reply from representatives of Georgian opposition parties who signed the Charles Michel Agreement.
“Honorable members of the Parliament“
“I would like thank you for your letter dated 9 December regarding recent political developments in Georgia.
“I share your concern about the stalled judicial and electoral reforms which are at the core of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement.
“The best chance for tangible progress is to adopt and implement inclusive reforms as soon as possible. This will help build Georgia’s resilience and democracy, and end the damaging polarisation that currently affects the Georgian political systems. The justice sector and democratic changes should receive special attention. While the government has the primary responsibility, it is important that the government and opposition work together to de-escalate and pursue a constructive reform agenda.
“As stated in the Joint Declaration of the Eastern Partnership Summit of the 15th December, the scope of our cooperation, among other aspects, will continue to be determined by the pace and the quality of reforms. The EU’s conditionality-based and incentive-based approaches (“more-for more” and “less for less”) will continue to be most beneficial to those partners who are committed to reform. The EU made this clear at the Eastern Partnership Summit.
“The EU will continue to advocate for ambitious reforms based on the EU-Georgia AssociationAgreement, to the benefit of Georgia and its people,” reads the letter.
On December 9, the signatories to the political agreement that was negotiated through the mediation efforts of Charles Michel wrote to the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, the EU High Representative for External Affairs and Security Policy, Joseph Borrell, and the EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Expansion, Oliver Varhelyi, expressing their concern about the recent political developments.
By Ana Dumbadze
Related Story: Signatories to April 19 Agreement Address Charles Michel and Joseph Borrell
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