The Prime Minister of Georgia issues a statement in connection with the 9th anniversary of the associate membership of Georgia in the European Union.

“Nine years ago today, Georgia became an associate member of the EU. A historic event in itself, it laid the foundation for other achievements and consistent progress toward Georgia’s eventual integration into the EU.

The Free Trade Agreement has enabled our entrepreneurs to export goods into the EU without any barriers. The constantly growing trade dynamic is bringing tangible results for the prosperity of our people.

Equally essential to our citizens is the ability to travel freely to the EU with Georgian passports, a result brought about through the agreement on visa-free travel.

On March 3, 2022, I signed Georgia’s EU membership application.

This process was continued by granting the European perspective to Georgia-for the first time in our history, Europe publicly and unequivocally stated that Georgia will become an EU member state.

Preceded by a long period of stagnation, this achievement, recorded in less than 10 years, is a result of the joint efforts of our Government and the majority of society.

I am confident that this process will continue by a well-deserved recognition, the granting of the candidate status at the end of this year, to mark the beginning of the decisive phase in Georgia’s accession to the EU”, - writes Irakli Garibashvili.