"Assistance will still depend on the progress made in implementing the reforms" | The European Union responds to Gharibashvili with a special statement

Acting Head of the EU Delegation Julien Cramp has issued a special statement in response to the Georgian government's decision to refuse macro-financial assistance.

We offer the statement of the EU Delegation is unchanged:

"The government of Georgia has informed the European Union of its decision to refrain from requesting macro-financial assistance in the amount of 75 million euros. This amount should have been transferred by September 30, 2021 if Georgia had fulfilled the mutually agreed obligations that it undertook in signing the terms of the macro-financial assistance program in September 2020. The 150 million euro macro-financial assistance, half of which has already been transferred, was intended to help the Georgian population deal with the pandemic. These funds were to be used for the welfare of Georgian citizens.

The EU understands the decision of the Government of Georgia not to request the remaining part of the macro-financial assistance. We respect the decision of the Georgian authorities, at the same time noting that Georgia has not been able to sufficiently meet the conditions for receiving macro-financial assistance and, in particular, has increased the independence, accountability and quality of the judiciary.

In particular, it should be noted that the selection of judges of the Supreme Court was carried out without the adoption of legislative changes, which were necessary for full compliance with the recommendations of the Venice Commission; No equal conditions were guaranteed for the candidate during the selection process.
Also, several other legislative changes were not adopted to increase the transparency of the judiciary;

The terms of macro-financial assistance related to the justice reforms were also among the commitments made by Georgian political parties in an agreement signed by the EU on April 19, 2020, through mediation.

The EU calls on the Georgian authorities to fulfill their commitments related to reforms, including in the interests of the Georgian people in the field of justice, and the EU - Georgia's future relations. The EU will continue to monitor the situation closely.

The EU emphasizes, While it remains fully committed to supporting Georgia's reforms in accordance with the EU-Georgia Association Agreement, EU assistance will still depend on the progress made in implementing key reforms."