Ruling party adopted legal changes in order to sue the President

Georgian Parliament has cleared the way for the government to file a competence dispute with President Salome Zourabichvili. The amendments included a provision allowing any state entity to initiate a competence claim against another state body in the Constitutional Court based on its "activity or inaction." The old understanding largely allowed for a disagreement regarding the defendant's normative actions' conformity.

After receiving criticism from the opposition and civil society organisations, the ruling party announced the modifications in late March but postponed their consideration for two weeks. The bill was passed in two hearings, the first on April 12 and the second on April 13.

The Georgian Dream (GD) government intends to file a competence complaint against Salome Zourabichvili, alleging that she refused to approve multiple diplomatic appointments. According to the constitution, the President's role in signing off on diplomatic nominations is solely ceremonial, according to the ruling party.

When the Georgian Dream announced its intention to sue the President on March 15, it highlighted her “unlawful visits” to Brussels and Paris during the Russo-Ukrainian War as an example of the President pursuing foreign policy by circumventing the government. The GD administration will merely fight President Zourabichvili’s purported reluctance to appoint the diplomats, according to Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili.

The accusation was denied by Georgia's presidential administration. The GD administration submitted 12 candidates for Ambassador or Head of Mission between January 1, 2021, and March 21, 2022, according to the statement, all of them were approved by the President.

The Georgian Young Lawyers Association denounced the modifications as an "effort at political retribution against the President" for kicking off the issue.

Georgian Foreign Minister visited Czech Republic

Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili was in Prague for his first bilateral visit, where he met European Affairs Minister Mikuláš Bek. 

The approaching Czech presidency of the Council of the European Union and Georgia's response to the 27-member bloc membership questionnaire were significant subjects of discussion for the Georgian side, according to the Foreign Ministry. According to the Georgian Foreign Ministry, the two officials also addressed Russia's aggression against Ukraine as well as current security concerns in the area. Minister Bek promised that during the Czech Republic's EU presidency, the Associated Trio nations of Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova will be prioritised.

On April 14, Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili met with Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský and Markéta Pekarová Adamová, Speaker of the Czech Parliament's lower chamber, the Chamber of Deputies. The Foreign Ministry announced that FM Darchiashvili and Speaker Pekarová Adamová discussed increasing parliamentary cooperation, including exchanging expertise in aligning legislation with EU regulations. The Speaker of the Czech Chamber of Deputies was also updated on the situation in the Russian-occupied districts by Georgia's senior diplomat.

According to the Georgian Foreign Ministry, the two senior diplomats addressed ways to strengthen bilateral relationships as well as the opportunities that have opened up for the Associated Trio — Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova — since receiving EU membership questionnaires. The two ministers also discussed the security situation in Russian-occupied Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia, emphasising the necessity for stronger international intervention to guarantee regional peace, according to the report. According to the Georgian Foreign Ministry, FM Lipavský pledged that under the Czech Republic's presidency of the EU Council, the integration of the Associated Trio will be a top priority.

After the meeting, FM Lipavský said on Facebook, "Czechia supports Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as its European aspirations."

Georgia’s EU membership questionnaire made public

The Georgian government released the questionnaire that the European Commission used to develop an opinion on the country's EU membership application. The 42-page paper is divided into two sections: political criteria and economic criteria, with a total of 369 questions. The two portions are separated into three and two sections respectively, with a total of around 20 subsections.

The first section on political criteria looked at democracy, and the rule of law, constitutional structure, as well as rules, regulations, and current events in the areas of parliament, government, civil society, public administration, civilian oversight of security forces, the judiciary, and anti-corruption policy and strategy. The second section on the political criteria examined fundamental rights, examines the situation in terms of substantive and procedural rights, respect for and protection of minorities, cultural rights, and personal data protection.

The political criteria's last section had inquiries about Georgia's involvement in regional efforts, as well as the Rome Statute on the International Criminal Court and the Hague Conference on Private International Law.

The first component of the economic criteria portion had questions on the existence of a functioning market economy, examines Georgia's macroeconomic stability as well as the functioning of product, labour, and financial markets, including the banking sector, capital and money markets, and non-bank financial organisations.

In the meanwhile, the second segment investigated Georgia's ability to deal with competitive pressure and market dynamics inside the European Union. It looked at Georgia's investments in education and innovation, as well as the level of physical capital and infrastructure quality, as well as the economy's sectoral structure and business policy.

Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili announced that the government decided to make the document public due to widespread interest.

The change occurred after the opposition and civil society organisations pleaded with European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi to aid increase openness in the questionnaire completing procedure.

On April 11, Commissioner Várhelyi presented the paper up to FM Darchiashvili in Luxembourg. Georgia has one month to complete the long form.

Salome Zourabichvili: “Georgia should thank Ukraine for receiving the questionnaire for EU membership”

Georgia should applaud Ukraine for obtaining the questionnaire for EU membership, according to Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili during a special briefing and said that Georgia's bid for EU membership is an uncommon, fresh opportunity for the country.

"Today is one of Georgia's most momentous days in history. We received a questionnaire from the European Union today, something we would not have expected in a few years. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our country," she declared. According to Zourabichvili, the EU chose to speed up the process and make it more political than bureaucratic "because to this unfortunate event."