The co-facilitators of the Jean Monnet Dialogue with Georgian parties, MEPs Viola von Cramon (The Greens/EFA, Germany), Marina Kaljurand (S&D, Estonia), and Miriam Lexmann (EPP, Slovakia), have said their January 21-22 visit to Georgia has been cancelled because Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili did not find the time to engage.
The news comes as the Georgian Dream administration and Brussels are at odds over the contentious Supreme Court and High Council of Justice nominations, as well as GD's pre-emptive denial of a conditional EU loan and Georgia's reported eavesdropping on western diplomats, to mention a few issues.
"The visit was intended to explore the possibilities of launching a Jean Monnet Dialogue process with the Georgian Parliament, with the goal of developing an inter-party dialogue to build a better democratic parliamentary culture and trust," the three European Parliament members said in a statement released on January 21.
"We feel that the Georgian Parliament has a critical role and obligation in addressing the country's persistent and harmful political (polarisation) and moving forward with an inclusive and reforming agenda," the three legislators said.
The MEPs urged the Georgian Parliament to pave the basis for a "conducive start" to the Jean Monnet Dialogue process, noting that they remain willing to help.
In a tweet, MEP von Cramon, the Lead Member for Georgia in the European Parliament's Democracy Support Group, stated that the Dialogue is being protracted by the Parliament. She claimed that "today more than ever, a functioning Parliament is needed to solve Georgia's many difficulties," citing the country's divisiveness. MEP Lexmann stated that although legislators are dedicated to the Jean Monnet Dialogue, they also demand as much from the Georgian Parliament.
The European Parliament's Jean Monnet Conversation was introduced in 2016 as a parliamentary mediation and dialogue mechanism. Following an EU-brokered April 19 compromise between the government Georgian Dream and opposition parties, the three legislators were chosen to oversee the process in Georgia in June 2021. The GD pulled out of the contract in late July.
