Authors:
Abashidze Ana, Arganashvili Anna, Chanturia Tsira, Chikhladze Nino, Daushvili Meri, Ghavtadze Mariam,
Gobronidze Giorgi, Gogosashvili Mariam, Golijashvili Tamar, Gotsiridze Giorgi, Gzirishvili Tamar, Janiashvili Mariam, Kukava Ketevan, Lezhava Diana, Nikoleishvili Karlo, Pataraia Babutsa, Sordia Giorgi, Tsimakuridze Ekaterine.
Peer review: Srdjan Majstorovic
Prooftreading: Camrin Christensen
Design: Maka Tsomaia
EU membership is Georgia’s foreign policy goal. It is based on the broad public consensus and supported up to 80% of country’s population.
The country’s civil society is actively engaged in Georgia’s EU integration process. The proposed document is yet another attempt to bring Georgia closer to the European Union.
The present initiative is backed by EU Integration Program of the Open Society Georgia Foundation and aims at assessing the existing legislation and practice in the field of judiciary, fight against corruption, human rights and fundamental freedoms and equality, based on benchmarks that EU candidate country needs to meet. The exercise is usually carried out by the state institutions of EU candidate countries.
With this document we want to encourage the Georgian authorities to make more progress and bold steps in the process of Georgia’s eventual membership in the European Union before its EU accession process gets officially launched. This is an attempt to unilaterally identify the achievements and gaps applying the benchmarks that EU candidate country is supposed to meet.
The Questionnaire is a formal instrument through which the EU assesses the readiness of states to begin the process of accession. Benchmarks are set in every chapter to guide the candidate towards fulfilling the EU membership obligations.
The two year process of preparing the document involving dozens of CSOs was led by Mr. Srdjan Majstorovic, former member of the team negotiating Serbia’s EU accession process.
The proposed assessment is based on the analysis of collected qualitative and quantitative data and is enriched with the detailed recommendations. We sincerely hope that this attempt would encourage the Georgian authorities to address the identified challenges and produce similar document applying to remaining 33 chapters of the Questionnaire.
Vano Chkhikvadze
EU Integration Program Manager
Open Society Georgia Foundation
