IPN Interview with Georgia’s Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze

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The Eastern Partnership  Summit in Vilnius on November 29 is expected to mark the beginning of a new phase in Moldova’s relationship with the European Union. What will it bring and how will it influence the life of the Moldovans from the country and from abroad? What will each of us gain and what should we do for this benefit to become possible? How will the new conditions affect Moldova’s relations with other countries? The IPN Agency aims to look for answers to these and other questions worrying society, together with you, within the series of articles “Association with the EU to everyone’s understanding”.

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- Minister Panjikidze, you are visiting Chisinau to attend the annual Assembly of the Eastern Partnership’s Civil Society Forum.  Why should a foreign minister, who represents a governmental agency, attend a meeting apparently destined for nongovernmental organizations?

- Four years, since the launch of the Eastern Partnership, have proved that it is an effective policy for bringing the willing and prepared Eastern European Partners closer to the EU.  We have already made significant progress in line with the prospects offered by the Initiative, which would not be feasible without the active engagement of the Civil Society.  The Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum made it possible to keep the channel of dialogue open – its engagement gave us confidence that we were on the right track; its input made us aware of what needed to be changed.

Participation of the Government representatives in the Forum is a sign of the importance we attach to the engagement of the Civil Society.  Besides, it is a two-way process. We need each other – the Government and the Civil Society should work together for the common goals. We try to involve them as much as possible in the decision-making process and later too, are willing to hear their feedback. So, the more active interaction, the better for the overall results.

Tbilisi will host the 6th Civil Society Forum in 2014.  We are taking over this privilege from Chisinau.  Tbilisi has already become the meeting place for various EaP events and the Civil Society Forum will be yet another opportunity to increase the visibility of the Partnership and promote our European endeavors.

- At the November summit, Georgia is expected to sign its association agreement with the EU, whereas Moldova will only initial it. What part of its homework has Georgia done the best before the summit and that could be helpful for Moldova in this regard?

- To be precise, Georgia, like Moldova, is planning to initial the Association Agreement at the Vilnius Summit. Only Ukraine will be able to sign it as far as they initialed the Agreement in March 2012. As for Georgia, we have concluded the negotiations on the whole text of the Agreement, including the DC FTA in July 2013 and aim to sign it before the expiration of the term of the current European Commission.

- Which were the major challenges on Georgia’s European agenda before the Vilnius Summit and which of them will stand after it? Which challenges could be a helpful lesson for Moldova?

- In the context of the Vilnius Summit, our efforts are focused on concrete deliverables:  As mentioned, we aim to initial the Association Agreement, including the DC FTA, and score maximum progress towards finalization of the legislative phase of the Visa Liberalization Action Plan.  We also plan to sign the framework Agreement on participation of Georgia in the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy operations, as well as the Protocol on Georgia’s participation in the EU Programmes.  The negotiations on Georgia’s full membership in the Energy Community are expected to start soon. These are the main priorities of our European agenda before the Vilnius.

We would also like to launch negotiations on the Association Agenda, which will replace the European Neighborhood Policy Action Plan and aim to facilitate the entry into force and the implementation of the Association Agreement. The Association Agenda will be a set of concrete actions we need to take in line with the commitments agreed in the Association Agreement.

After the Vilnius Summit, as mentioned, we expect to sign the Agreement before the expiration of the term of the current European Commission and start its provisional application in order to timely draw the anticipated benefits. Effective implementation of the DC FTA could prepare the ground for deeper economic integration, aimed towards the establishment of the EU – Eastern Partnership Economic Area. Visa-free travel with the respective Eastern European partners, based on the successful implementation of the Visa Liberalization Action Plans, should be one of the highlights of the post-Vilnius period.

The EU and the Eastern European partners share a vital interest in building the common space of stability and security.  The EU plays an important role in Georgia in this regard. The issue of peaceful conflict resolution and the increased role of the EU should get due attention in the context of the Eastern Partnership, as it has vital importance for the majority of the EaP countries.

The European agendas of Moldova and Georgia have many similarities. We view the Eastern Partnership as the major political framework for achieving the highest level of integration in the EU. As far as our interests are similar and we cooperate with the EU in the same political framework, Eastern Partnership, we often share our opinions and experience with each other.

The thing Georgia and Moldova should both have in mind, is that effective implementation of the European Agenda is not an easy process, but we are aware of the hard tasks this process entails and are willing to take those, as far as the benefits by far outweigh the cost.

- Let’s focus on the issue of the fight against corruption and the judicial reform, which are important parts of Moldova’s homework as well. How was it possible for Georgia to make progress in this respect?

- Indeed, Georgia has a very good record of fighting petty corruption.  Since assuming power, the new Government took all relevant steps to tackle the “elite corruption”; syndrome of impunity and selective application of justice.  Following the October 2012 elections, the Government began engaging in judicial reform efforts. According to the official data of the Supreme Court, the Government’s actions to date have resulted in significant changes already – more citizens are winning cases against the State, and in sensitive cases related to former high officials, courts have turned down requests by prosecutors.   Some of the important judicial reform efforts include: Initiating and adopting reforms to improve the independence of judges and ensuring the transparency of the judiciary and its procedures, based on NGO recommendations and in consultation with the OSCE’s Venice Commission; Working to liberalize criminal policy;  Expressing political commitment not to interfere with the justice system and the work of courts; Amending the Law on Prosecutor’s Office, limiting the power of the Minister of Justice in criminal investigations. These developments were duly noted in the Report “on the Human Rights Dimension” by Thomas Hammarberg, the EU Special Adviser on Constitutional and Legal Reform and Human Rights in Georgia.

This progress became possible because the main objective of the current Government of Georgia is to build a stronger and more effective democratic state where human rights and fundamental freedoms are fully protected and the rule of law is upheld.  We are determined to ensure the practice of good governance and accountability, preserve transparency of our institutions and decision making process.  These values represent the will of the Georgian people, which they clearly expressed at the October 2012 elections.

- Even if you are, as mentioned, a top governmental official of Georgia, let us view your country’s European integration process through the eyes of ordinary Georgians. What’s in for them? Which benefits have they gained until now and which benefits are they going to have after the signing of the Association Agreement with the EU?

- According to the autumn 2012 polls by the EU Neighborhood Barometer, 71 % of the Georgian population trusts the EU, which is the highest figure for the Eastern Dimension of the ENP, and the 82 % describe the EU-Georgia relations as very good, again the higher than elsewhere in the East Dimension of the ENP.

Thus, the European Integration is a natural path of our country’s development, determined by the choice of the Georgian people and backed by all major political forces. Our common future with the EU will rest upon the shared values and principles, such as democracy, rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. In this context, we attach particular importance to the process itself as the reforms implemented according to the ambitious European integration agenda are key for the genuine transformation and Europeanization of our country.

The effective implementation of the Association Agreement will ensure the irreversibility of this process.

The political association with the EU will give us the opportunity to enhance the dialogue with the EU in almost all directions, like the Common Foreign and Security Policy; Justice, Freedom and Security; sectorial fields like environment protection, energy, transport, education, consumer protection, taxation, agriculture, employment and social policy, etc.  It means higher standards in all these fields, which will be translated into a safer environment, higher social protection, and better living conditions for our citizens.

The Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade area first of all means meeting up the European standards for goods and services. Opening the EU market will benefit domestic and foreign investors and entrepreneurs; furthermore, better product quality will be ensured for Consumers; thanks to higher standards of protection of intellectual property rights will also benefit the inventors and artists.

Another important dimension is the possibility of the visa free travel, in a secure and well-managed environment, following the effective implementation of the Visa liberalization Action Plan. It will be crucial for enhancing people-to-people contacts and will give the possibility for an increasing number of Georgian citizens to directly experience the European way of life. The mobility of citizens will contribute to strengthening contacts between students, as well as scientific and business circles.

- It’s widely recognized that European integration sometimes requires additional efforts and even sacrifices from the people. What would motivate Georgians to face such costs?

- As I have mentioned, the benefits by far outweigh the costs.  Of course, we have certain commitments to meet before being able to enjoy fully the anticipated benefits.  The Government of Georgia will try its best to communicate all aspects of the European Agenda to its citizens. We have adopted the “EU Integration, Communication and Information Strategy for 2014-2017”, aimed at raising the public awareness on the opportunities and challenges of the European integration process and providing objective information on the EU-integration related reforms.

- How united is Georgia’s society on its European integration aspirations? Has there been any disunity in this regard? How can such differences affect the European development of your country?

- The European and Euro-Atlantic integration is the cornerstone of Georgia’s foreign policy.  All polls and surveys reveal that the majority of the population of Georgia have positive attitude towards the European Union. In March 2013, the Georgian Parliament adopted the Resolution on the Basic Directions of Georgia’s Foreign Policy, stating that “integration into the European and Euro-Atlantic structures represents the main priority of the country’s foreign policy course.”

The senior Georgian officials, including Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, have stated on numerous occasions that the European Integration has no alternative for Georgia.

- On October 27, one month before the Vilnius Summit, Georgia is holding presidential elections. How can the outcome influence your country’s pro-Europe aspirations? 

- Government of Georgia exercises every effort to ensure holding the most democratic, free and transparent elections in the history of Georgia. Our efforts are primarily focused on creation of fair and competitive pre-election environment and pluralistic media. Besides, the government refuses to use the administrative resources in the pre-election campaign and no incidence of misuse of office has been observed so far.

Georgia has invited observers from various international organizations, among them: Office of Democratic Institutions and Human rights (ODIHR), the Council of Europe, the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the NATO.

As for the consequences, the People of Georgia have to define their future themselves. However, whoever wins the elections, this will not influence the European and Euro Atlantic course of development of our nation, since there is a broad consensus among society and main political forces on the foreign policy orientation of the country.

- How can Moldova and Georgia support each other more in fulfilling their aspirations?

- Moldova and Georgia should closely cooperate in order to draw maximum benefits from the Eastern Partnership.  The Vilnius Summit marks an important turning point in the development of the Eastern Partnership. We should unite our efforts to achieve the common goal – European Integration.


Alina Marin, IPN