The EU Integration Committee, in cooperation with the KAS, held Europe Day Week, the final event of which was held at the Palace of the Parliament of Georgia.

Maka Botchorishvili, Chairperson of the Committee, addressed the participants of the event with a welcome speech.

"Europe Day is not only symbolic for our country, but it also has a special significance for Georgian society. Europe Day symbolizes peace and unity in Europe, which our country has been striving for since the first days of independence. To achieve the goal of EU membership, we have taken important steps in recent years, successfully implementing the Association Agreement and implementing important reforms that are necessary for the democratic consolidation of our country, better protection of human rights, strengthening the rule of law and integration into the EU economic space. Today Georgia is closer to the EU than ever, and we are preparing to take the most important step towards the ultimate goal of joining the EU. In 2024, Georgia will make an official application for EU membership, and this step will add more strength to EU integration. In parallel with the steps taken by the government, it is important to further strengthen the support of Georgian citizens to the EU integration process and the active involvement of all members of society, including the younger generation. This was the purpose of organizing the EU Enlargement Course within the framework of Europe Week”, - M. Botchorishvili remarked.

The participants of the event were addressed by the Speaker of the Parliament, Kakha Kutchava, the Vice-Speaker of the Parliament, Levan Ioseliani and the EU Ambassador to Georgia, Carl Hartzell.

K. Kutchava highlighted that returning to the European family is a historic choice of the Georgian people. Georgia remains committed to this course, which was reflected in the country's main law as a result of the constitutional reform.

"The actions we are taking and the results we are achieving on the path to European integration are important. The Association Agreement was the most important document, which laid the groundwork for the commitments, the fulfillment of which would allow us to say that we can become a member of the European Union. We have made an official announcement that in 2024 we will be ready to apply for full-fledged membership in the European Union. This day is very close. We received very positive assessments from the MEPs, who are positive about this process because of the way we have gone, not only the executive branch, but also the Parliament of Georgia and all the institutions involved, with dignity. We must have a very ambitious plan for 2024, which will give us the basis and opportunity to submit this application and prepare for full membership in the European Union”, - K. Kutchava addressed the students.

"I would like to address the students who entered the parliament before some political parties have not yet entered. Today, the political parties - the opposition, the ruling party - have entered a new stage of political development, when for the first time in the history of Georgia, the political crisis is literally over and resolved through negotiations. You know what a difficult period preceded all this and through whose efforts the crisis was overcome. Of course, our European and American friends”, - L. Ioseliani stated.

The EU Ambassador to Georgia welcomed the participants online - "I welcome the participants who spent last week in the spirit of the European Union. This spirit defines not only the topics you have been working on, but also the methods or tools you have used to achieve results, and that is negotiation and compromise. It is this spirit that changed Europe 71 years ago, and it is this spirit that makes us celebrate Europe Days”.

Students from various Georgian universities took part in simulated EU enlargement negotiations and a model debate in the European Parliament on granting Georgia EU candidate status.

At the end of the event, M. Botchorishvili and Shalva Papuashvili handed over certificates to the students. With the support of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, eight of the participating students will pay a study visit to the EU institutions in Brussels.