Civil society organizations address the European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, and ask for the interim evaluation to be public and accessible to the stakeholders, including the civil society of the country.

The statement is signed by 16 NGOs. As stated in the letter, public accessibility of the mid-term evaluation of the European Commission will ensure the transparency of the process, enable the active participation of civil society in it, and significantly contribute to the effective supervision of the implementation of the priorities.

"Dear Commissioner,

On June 23, 2022, the European Union decided to give Georgia a European perspective. This is an important stage in our country’s path to joining the European Union. At the same time, we realize that it is necessary to fulfill the twelve recommendations given by the European Union to Georgia, as a prerequisite for granting the country the status of an EU membership candidate. One of these recommendations entails the involvement of civil society in the decision-making process at all levels.

As you know, Georgia has a robust civil society, which is extremely important in the country’s European integration process. Our main goal is to facilitate Georgia’s accession to the European Union and, accordingly, receive the status of an EU membership candidate. Civil society actively supervises the government’s implementation of 12 recommendations. We welcome the European Commission’s decision to prepare a mid-term evaluation of the implementation of the recommendations in spring 2023. We believe that this will help Georgia and its partners to see at what stage the country is on its way to becoming a candidate.

Taking into account that part of civil society is involved in the process of monitoring the implementation of the recommendations, we ask for the interim evaluation to be public and accessible to the stakeholders, including the civil society of the country. Public accessibility of the mid-term evaluation of the European Commission will ensure the transparency of the process, enable the active participation of civil society in it, and significantly contribute to the effective supervision of the implementation of the priorities," reads the letter.

The signatories of the letter include:

Open Society Georgia Foundation (OSGF)
Union Sapari
Democracy Research Institute (DRI)
Governance Monitoring Center (GMC)
Georgia’s Reforms Associates (GRASS)
Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA)
Social Justice Center
Georgian Democracy Initiative (GDI)
Tbilisi Pride
Georgian Court Watch
Transparency International Georgia
Green Alternative
Eastern European Centre for Multiparty Democracy (EECMD)
Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies (GFSIS)
Economic Policy Research Center (EPRC)
International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED)

source: IPN