Celebrations in Tbilisi on 15 december 2023 © Onnik James Krikorian 2023
On December 14, the European Council granted EU candidate status to Georgia. An important step, celebrated the following day in the capital Tbilisi, both by the authorities and the population. However, the path towards the EU still remains ahead.
Last week, six months shy of marking a decade since signing its Association Agreement with the European Union, Georgia received its long-awaited EU candidate status. The move came after Ukraine and Moldova received their candidate status a year and a half earlier, following an EU decision to fast-track all three countries after the Russian invasion. For most Georgians, this was a dream come true.
Despite the disparity between the decisions concerning the three countries, European Council President Charles Michel described the landmark decision as emotional and powerful. “It will change the face of EU for the coming years and decades [and] it will also will change the reality for the countries in question”, he said in a press conference held after the EU Summit where the decisions were taken last week. Ukraine and Moldova will now enter accession talks.
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