Julien Crampes, the Interim European Union delegation Head in Georgia, appealed to the Georgian government to meet its reform-related obligations.
Crampes said that on 31 August of 2021, the Georgian government notified the EU of its decision to refrain from accepting the macro-financial assistance of EUR 75 mln, which was to be transferred to Georgia before 30 September of 2021 if the country fulfilled its corresponding obligations.
The Interim Head of the EU Delegation stressed that EUR 150 mln, half of which has already been transferred, aimed to help the Georgian public grapple with the pandemic.
''We respect the decision by the Georgian government; however, we also note that it failed to meet the condition to receive the macro-financial assistance and, in particular, increase independence, accountability, and quality of the judicial system. A special emphasis should be placed on the fact that judges were selected without the adoption of legislative amendments to ensure compatibility with the Venice Commission recommendations; also, during the selection process, the playing field was not leveled for all candidates, and some legislative amendments aiming at the transparency of the judicial system were not adopted. All these were among the responsibilities which Georgian political parties assumed under the EU-mediated Agreement of 19 April 2020.
The EU calls upon Georgia to meet its reform-related obligations,'' the Interim European Union delegation head in Georgia declared.
