Legal Aspects of Georgia's EU Integration

Following Georgia’s application for EU membership in March 2022, it was finally granted candidate status on the basis of European Council conclusions of December 14 and 15, 2023.[1] The relationships between the two are predominantly governed by the Association Agreement[2] (AA) concluded between the EU and Georgia. The AA is an outcome of the EU’s European neighbourhood policy (ENP), an important part of the EU’s foreign policy, of which Georgia is one of 16 partner countries.[3] While the AA has historically framed the contours of EU-Georgia cooperation, the recent advancement of Georgia’s status marks the commencement of a significantly more dynamic phase of interaction. Consequently, in future the scope of engagement will further extend beyond the domains outlined by the AA, the Treaty Establishing Energy Community,[4] or the Common Aviation Area Agreement.[5] Moreover, Georgia will have to broaden its horizon and look much further than it had to in case of the existing bilateral and multilateral agreements with the EU, embracing a more comprehensive approach to its integration efforts. The paper serves as the written statement of the speech delivered by the representative of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia at the International Scientific Conference convened by the collaborative efforts of Lazarski University and the European Integration Research Center at Georgian National University SEU. The author is steadfast in the belief that discussions conducted during the conference contribute significantly to deepening Georgia’s integration with the EU, and foster stronger connections between academia and the policymaking sector. Keywords: EU, Georgia, legal approximation, EU Law, Association Agreement, candidacy.