On 19 May, the EU Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee heard Estonian EU parliamentarian Sven Mikser’s report on implementation of the EU association agreement with Georgia.

According to Mikser, the political life in Georgia remains dynamic and lively, however, Mikser emphasized that a political polarization in the country still persists. “In recent years, the worrying trends of political polarization have… increased [along with the] erosion of trust between the government and the opposition. This is not unique to Georgia, but it is a matter of significant concern, especially during this election year,” he said. According to him, the COVID-19 pandemic has suspended normal political life in Georgia. In this context, Mikser also praised the measures taken by the Georgian government in that regard.

Another EU parliamentarian, Andrius Kubilius (Lithuania), who also holds the position of the Chairman of the European Parliament’s Deputation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, declared that the major challenge for Georgia will be to hold the October parliamentary elections in a free and transparent way.

Michael Gahler (Germany) praised the Georgian government  for its actions against the coronavirus and expressed hope that the constitutional changes, per the 8 March election agreement between the ruling party and the opposition would be enacted as agreed

Anna Fogyta (Poland) spoke about the Russian occupation of Georgian territories, the June protests and the election issues. She praised Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili for the pardon of the opposition leaders and expressed hope that the co-founder of the opposition-minded TV channel Giorgi Rurua would also be released soon. 

In the light of the positive assessments Deputy Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Kakha Kuchava said that these assessments concerned the implemented reforms and legislative work. He also added that the report also mentioned challenges referring to the issues on which the government has to further work on. “The EU parliamentarians welcome the agreement reached over the election system and the decision of Georgia’s President about pardoning Irakli Okruashvili and Gigi Ugulava. They claimed that their pardoning represents a step towards depolarization and discharge of political tension in Georgia. The parliamentarians expressed their hope that Constitutional changes will be made and all political parties will support the proposed amendments,” he said.