EU Ambassador: Seize this opportunity and work together towards EU membership - Diplomat Magazine

Georgia and European Union achieved important milestone in June 2022, as 27 EU leaders decided to recognize Georgia's 'European Perspective'. The European Council expressed readiness to grant the status of candidate country to Georgia once the priorities specified in the European Commission's opinion on Georgia's membership application have been met. However, this decision was not much celebrated in Georgia as candidate status was expected unconditionally, similarly to Ukraine and Moldova.

We talked to Pawel Herczynski, the new EU Ambassador to Georgia, to find out whether Georgia will be able to address those priorities by the end of the year, and what his expectations are in this regard.

Based on the given political situation, how likely is it that Georgia meets the 12 priorities and how will the progress be evaluated?

The European Council, which consists of 27 EU leaders - presidents and prime ministers - decided collectively in June to grant Georgia the European perspective. In my opinion, this is a truly historic moment; so, any questions about Georgia’s eligibility to become a member of the EU, all doubts have been cleared up. It is now up to the Georgian side to prove that they are ready to embark on this journey, and the next step is to implement these priorities.

I think, and this is what I’m saying based on my 4 weeks in Georgia and the many conversations I have had both with the government and opposition representatives, that Georgia is very well placed to deliver, however, this will require all stakeholders to work together toward achieving this objective. As far as I know, there are ongoing efforts in the parliament, there are various committees responsible for implementing different points, and there is an ambitious timeline. Of course, me as Ambassador of the European Union, we are here to assist, to advise, but the Georgian side needs to do the homework. It is my sincere hope that the progress will be made, timelines will be met, and that the outcome will be positive when the European Commission assesses progress next year and the leaders of the 27 EU countries discuss the issue again.

You have been appointed as the Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia – a country that has no land border with any of the EU countries, at the same time, however, Georgia has great aspirations of becoming an EU member. This is a centuries-long aspiration. The Georgian people have considered themselves a member of the European family for centuries and this is a given, so how would you evaluate it?

According to the Lisbon treaty, any country located in Europe and observing the European values can apply to become a member of the EU. With this unanimous decision of 27 EU member states granting Georgia European perspective, geography is no longer an issue, Georgia has now been granted European perspective, point! Regarding the issue of no land borders with other EU member states, I can give you other examples of EU member states that do not share a land border with other EU members, such as Ireland, Cyprus and Malta. Therefore, geography is not an issue, since it was never an issue, and since the European Council granted Georgia European perspective, it is no longer a concern.

At the same time, and this is what I am really proud of, we have been working tirelessly to bring Georgia closer to other EU member states. One of our key projects is connectivity, and we are creating cables below the Black Sea, as well as ferry connections across the Black Sea, so once all those projects are implemented, I hope that the problem of geographical distance will become a thing of the past.

What is the role played in this entire process by the Georgian people, which persistently declares that Georgia’s place is in the European family and is dissatisfied with the current political situation in the country, although does not see a way out?

During my preparations for visiting Georgia, a striking figure of was public trust and support in the EU among Georgian citizens was 70-80 percent, which is an extremely reassuring sign that the Georgian population sees itself as part of Europe and is eager to become its part. There is much work involved; both the government and the opposition are responsible for creating an inclusive, open, transparent process, and the opposition must engage constructively in it. If I reflect on my own country [Poland] and other countries that joined the European Union a while ago, reaching across political lines has always been difficult, but for all of our countries, it has been possible. In the case of Georgia, I hope this objective supported so widely by the population will create a situation where all stakeholders come together and work together to achieve Georgia’s EU membership.

Based on you past activities, you must know Georgia and the political situation in the country very well. How, in your view, we have come to this point? How is it that we have the same government for several terms and the longer the same political force remains in power, the weaker are the opposition and the democratic governance in the country?

Georgia is a democratic country, where the people decide who will represent them. As a result of my many discussions with representatives from both the government and opposition, I am convinced that everyone is interested in moving towards the European Union, which means peace, stability, and prosperity. Every transformation is challenging, and there are times when difficult decisions need to be made, but I trust and hope that both the opposition and the government will build bridges and in spite of the differences that are natural to every democratic country, at least on this one issue, European integration, they would come together and work together constructively.

The European Union plays a major role in the processes of progress and democratic development of Georgia, although, for 30 years we have not been able to see a multi-party governance, true judicial reform and an economic development that provides decent living conditions for the population of Georgia. What needs to change on the EU as well as the Georgian side so that we are able to see more tangible changes?

It is clear that we have achieved many important milestones over the past ten years or even more. Those were all very important moments in EU-Georgia relations, including the Association agreement, Free trade arrangement, and visa free regime; and last but not least, the historic decision by EU leaders to grant Georgia European perspective in June of this year. So I think there is a steady process and this trend needs not only to continue but also to accelerate; Georgia has the opportunity to move much closer to the EU. There is an opening from the European perspective, and Georgia has the opportunity to take advantage of this unique opportunity. Again, I hope that both the government and opposition of Georgia will seize this opportunity and work together towards EU membership.

Considering the war of 2008, it was a great disappointment for the large part of the population that Georgia did not receive candidate status together with Ukraine and Moldova. How do you assess this decision by the EU and how well communicated this decision was to the population which is anyway heartbroken after not having received MAP from NATO and for getting additional recommendations for the EU candidate status.

As you mentioned the 2008 war, I would like to emphasize that the EU is fully supporting the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Georgia. We stand by Georgia not only with words, but also with our actions. As we celebrate the 14th anniversary of the establishment of the EU monitoring mission, we are here today with our monitors to ensure that Georgia and the breakaway regions remain stable and gradually normalized. We are also the co-chairs of Geneva international discussions and at some point in the future we hope to see tangible results of our support of Georgia.

It has been a historic moment to receive the European perspective; this gives Georgia a unique chance to accelerate on its way toward the European Union; 12 priorities have been offered and I hope that the work will be completed and Georgia will be granted the candidate country status. There is no time like now, as I do not know for how long this window will be open, therefore, I was saying to both, the government and opposition, throughout all my meetings: seize this chance, it is a historic moment for your country. We are open to you, but we are waiting for you to follow through on the 12 priorities. This is up to you, it is your country, and I sincerely hope it can be done.

Finally, you get acquainted with the government’s plan to fulfill the 12 priorities , you met with the opposition and the civil society. How realistic do you think at this stage that Georgia receives the EU candidate status?

As I have been here for four weeks, it has been busy for me. I’ve met many interlocutors, both government officials and opposition representatives, but this is still an ongoing process. I also hope that it’s not about passing the laws but also about implementing those laws in practice. My message to opposition - stay in Parliament, engage constructively, provide ideas. Hopefully this will all result in progress of implementation of 12 priorities. The process within the Georgian parliament is still underway. I am still reaching out, trying to meet, listening, and learning from what I have experienced so far. I hope that the government will make the process inclusive, open, transparent, that international standard setters such as ODIHR, Venice Commission will be involved, consulted, and their suggestions will be taken into account.