The draft EU-Georgia Association Agenda emphasises the importance of "ambitious" reforms

Advancing Georgia's "democratic and rule of law agenda through ambitious political, judicial, and anti-corruption reforms in a wide and participatory process will be fundamental" to cooperation in 2021-2027, according to the European Commission's proposed EU-Georgia Association Agenda.

Overall, the long proposal expands on the previous Association Agenda, which ran from 2017 to 2020, and contains significant political and economic integration goals for the two parties. The manifesto identifies short- and medium-term goals in areas such as the judiciary, human rights, the economy, and the environment.

The statement promises Georgia the EU's help in achieving its goals and priorities but emphasises that "EU aid is subject to collectively agreed strong conditionalities relating to reform progress." The agreement has already been "accepted" by parties, according to the European Union Delegation in Georgia, and is awaiting formal approval.

The agenda emphasises the need for continuing Georgia's economic development and integration with the EU, with an emphasis on lowering inequality and improving working conditions, among other things. It also emphasises the importance of collaboration between the EU and Georgia in the areas of transportation, energy, and digital connection, notably via the Black Sea. Georgia must also endeavour to reduce emissions and provide a long-term, low-GHG development strategy to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), as well as update its National Determined Contribution (NDC) in accordance with the Paris Agreement, according to the document.

Georgia will also emphasise more ecologically conscious laws, with a focus on enhanced waste management, air, and water quality in accordance with European norms, according to the report. The EU and Georgia will collaborate on digital transformation in areas such as e-health, distance learning, telemedicine, and virus tracking, according to the paper. Georgia must continue to pursue judicial changes through a "inclusive and cross-party reform process," according to the suggested agenda, with the High Council of Justice, the entity in charge of the judiciary, being a top priority.

The text also stresses the need for Georgia's legislation on Common Courts being updated to reflect the Venice Commission's recommendations, as well as "applying completely the new law" to all future judge nominations. Georgia "will preserve media freedom, independence, and pluralism, following EU and international norms, and providing circumstances for a free, professional, independent, and healthy media environment," according to the proposed agenda. Georgia will also "guarantee the highest democratic norms throughout the election process, a fair, transparent, and rigorous treatment of complaints and appeals, and continue to fully address OSCE/ODIHR priority recommendations…" the report states.

In response to the COVID-19 epidemic and recovery, Georgia and the EU would "support good governance, human rights, rule of law, non-discrimination, as well as basic values and humanitarian principles," according to the text. Furthermore, the proposed agenda states that the government should build a civil society-friendly climate for organisations by supporting their financial viability and development, particularly at the local level. The parties will continue to work together to assist Georgia's attempts to make progress toward a peaceful and long-term resolution of the conflict, as well as to enable "long-term peace and security" in the nation, according to the declaration. Within the Geneva International Discussions, co-chaired by the EU, UN, and OSCE, the EU and Georgia will work together to encourage the implementation of the August 12th, 2008 ceasefire accord with Russia as well as to achieve "concrete achievements." The document also lays out several steps for Georgia to take, including continuing to promote freedom of movement, trade, economic ties, and education across the dividing lines, as well as ensuring "safe, dignified, and voluntary" returns of IDPs to occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia.

Irakli Kobakhidze: “Opposition campaigns against Georgia's EU candidacy”

Irakli Kobakhidze, the chairperson of the ruling Georgian Dream party, alleged that opposition groups are "agitating against Georgia getting EU membership candidate status."

"Every criteria puts Georgia ahead of Ukraine and Moldova," the ruling party's leader said in a news conference. "As a result, the EU's only option is to make a political choice. Only those who desire turmoil in Georgia and for our nation to join the conflict can oppose Georgia gaining the status of an EU membership candidate," the GD chair added. "At the very least, we urge on the extreme opposition to set aside its cruel, prejudiced political aims and halt the agitprop against Georgia," he continued.

MP Kobakhidze went on to say that the GD has "particular information" that "certain politicians from the extreme opposition" are campaigning in Brussels against Georgia getting candidate status, likely pointing to Lelo and For Georgia party members' recent separate travels to Brussels. "Anyone upset with the Georgian government's attitude on Ukraine is in reality disgruntled with the fact that Georgia does not join the conflict," the GD leader said in the briefing. He urged the opposition to compile a public list of actions Georgia might have taken to better help Ukraine. "We observe that foreigners have feelings of discontent as well, which they express publicly or in official meetings, but we haven't heard any arguments from them either," the GD head added. "We're curious why their and the UNM's statements are so similar, so it'd be helpful if they mentioned what we might have done but didn't in favour of Ukraine."

The opposition reacted quickly to the Georgian Dream chair's remarks, with United National Movement MP Levan Bezhashvili calling the speech an attempt by the ruling party to transfer blame on the opposition. According to the UNM MP, the GD government is responsible for the EU's decision on whether to declare Georgia a membership candidate, and "a failure of this procedure should constitute a sentence" against them.

Salome Samadashvili, a Lelo MP, slammed GD Chair Kobakhidze for repeating "shameless falsehoods," particularly on Ukraine and Moldova supporting Georgia in terms of EU candidacy standards.

"Because [the GD leadership] does not want to admit that they support [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and see the West as an enemy, they now want to put their failure in Europe, the West, on the opposition and its critiques," said European Georgia Chair Giga Bokeria.

Archbishop: “The government should not listen to Moscow, Brussels, or Washington”

Archbishop Iakob (Iakobashvili) of Bodbe, a powerful Georgian priest, declared in a sermon that the government "should not listen to Moscow, Brussels, Washington, or anybody else; it should listen to its people."

The cleric's comments match previous statements by the ruling Georgian Dream party and government officials, who have said that Georgia is a sovereign nation that "must be recognised" in the face of mounting Western criticism. The speech also mirrored the GD party's position that certain Ukrainian leaders want Georgia to join the conflict against Russia.

"What they want of us is pure folly; they are fools," Archbishop stated, referring to officials from "various government branches in Ukraine." Unnamed Ukrainian authorities, he alleged, want to "employ our government, for our administration to lease them this property and transform it into a military range.” The top clergyman cautioned, "we will never dance to their tune." "Who are we leaving Georgia to if another million people flee?" the archbishop wondered, adding, "what will I want the billions from overseas for if they ruin what we've already built? An invading adversary has always existed in Georgia." The archbishop went on to accuse Moscow of the April 9, 1989 slaughter of pro-independence protestors in Tbilisi by Soviet special forces, as well as the civil war and armed conflicts in the Tskhinvali region and Abkhazia in the 1990s, and the 2008 Russo-Georgian war. "Who defends us? We always fight for ourselves," he said, adding, "but we also battled for the freedom of others, which they should be aware of." Instead, the top cleric advised Ukrainian leaders to "take care of themselves and their nation. Those who battled heroically, could not carry out one breakout and [the officials] delivered them as hostages," the archbishop stated, referring to the "heart breaking" capitulation of Ukrainian soldiers in the Azovstal siege in Mariupol city.