The Association Council reiterated the EU’s commitment to strengthening EU-Georgia relations, reads the joint press statement following the 8th Association Council meeting between the EU and Georgia.

“On 20 February 2024, the European Union and Georgia held the 8th meeting of the EU-Georgia Association Council in Brussels.

The Association Council welcomed the historic decision of the European Council to grant Georgia the status of candidate country on the understanding that the nine steps set out in the European Commission recommendation of 8 November 2023 are taken. This took the EU-Georgia relations to a new strategic level. The EU took note of the adoption of the action plan to address the nine steps by the Government of Georgia in advance of the European Council decision and encouraged Georgia to further progress on reforms. It emphasized the importance of fulfilling the conditions specified by the European Commission through meaningful and irreversible reforms, prepared and implemented in consultation with the opposition and civil society. The EU stressed that Georgia’s progress towards the European Union will depend on its own merit in meeting the accession criteria.

The Association Council reiterated the EU’s commitment to strengthening EU-Georgia relations, emphasising the importance of fully exploiting the potential of the Association Agreement, including the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, and the effective implementation of the EU-Georgia Association Agenda 2021-2027. The Association Council recalled that the effective implementation of the Association Agreement and its DCFTA, linked to the broader process of regulatory approximation and related necessary reforms, contributes to establishing conditions for enhanced economic and trade relations with the EU leading to Georgia’s further gradual economic integration in the European Union Internal Market”, - reads the statement.