EU urges Georgia to step up efforts in European prospect's context

BRUSSELS. March 15 (Interfax) - The European Union views the Georgian parliament's revocation of the foreign agent bill as a victory of democracy yet expects Tbilisi to go an extra mile to implement European values and reforms, European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi said.

"The withdrawal [...] is an encouraging and positive sign," Varhelyi said at a plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday, while reporting the situation in Georgia.

He reminded the audience that the European Union acknowledged Georgia's European prospective in June 2022, which brought Georgia closer to joining the European Union, while entailing additional obligations.

"The European path sets the bar high as regards the standards that Georgia needs to meet and values to upkeep. It brings increased scrutiny, monitoring, and a need to implement reforms. It also provides a wider set of EU tools to accompany Georgia in this process," he said.

"Georgian people in a vast majority expressed their resolve to join the EU, the government has sent similar messages. Now, there is time for action on the ground," Varhelyi said.

He listed the tasks for Tbilisi, including further strengthening of independence of institutions, ensuring the rule of law, and human rights.

Varhelyi said that the process of Georgia's preparations for admission to the European Union would first be assessed as part of the "enlargement package" in fall to get a better idea of the situation.

In conclusion, he urged the Georgian authorities to fully guarantee the rights of former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and offered EU assistance, including medical services for the incarcerated ex-president.