20 October 2022 - Policy Dialogue
Speakers: Dr. Michael A. Rupp, Principal Administrator DG NEAR - Eastern Partnership, European Commission; Nathalie Sabanadze, Cyrus Vance Visiting Professor of International Relations at Mount Holyoke College; Former Head of the Georgian Mission to the European Union and Ambassador Plenipotentiary to Belgium and Luxembourg; Teona Lavrelashvili, Doctoral Researcher at the Public Governance Institute, Leuven University
Moderator: Amanda Paul, Senior Policy Analyst, European Policy Centre
In June 2022, the European Commission granted Ukraine and Moldova EU candidate status while leaving this door open to Georgia under a set of conditions. These included, among others, overcoming political polarisation, improving democratic oversight, reforming the judicial system, reducing the influence of oligarchs and other vested interests, and further strengthening media freedom.
This hybrid Policy Dialogue took stock of what Georgia has done so far. What are the country’s main obstacles, and can it overcome its political divide?
