Council of Europe Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge and the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Lasha Darsalia, have jointly launched the Council of Europe Action Plan for Georgia 2024-2027 in Tbilisi. Building on the work of previous years, the new Action Plan aims to support the country’s efforts to honour its obligations as a Council of Europe member State.
The Deputy Secretary General underlined that the Action Plan will be based on what has already been achieved: “It builds on the Council of Europe’s latest evaluations, monitoring reports and recommendations, as well as the Reykjavík Declaration agreed by Europe’s leaders at our Summit of Heads of State and Government last May. But most importantly, the Action Plan is based on the priorities of Georgia itself.”
The Action Plan was developed closely with the Georgian authorities. It aims to address reform priorities and help introduce legislative changes that will bring Georgia closer to Council of Europe standards and European Union integration requirements.
Hosting the event, the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Lasha Darsalia, noted: “I would like to sincerely thank the Council of Europe for its fruitful co-operation and support. Their contribution is immeasurable in the process of implementing democratic reforms in Georgia. Consequently, it is important to emphasise the importance of our cooperation today, at this important stage of Georgia's integration into the European Union.”
“In conclusion, we express our readiness to continue cooperation with the Council of Europe and all partners, including civil society, in order to implement the Action Plan and to further strengthen the protection of human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Georgia,” said the First Deputy Minister.
Under the Action Plan, the Council of Europe and the Georgian authorities have agreed to carry forward jointly, through co-operation programmes, reforms aimed at enhancing the implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Court case-law at national level, aligning national legislation and the practice of anti-discrimination with European standards, promoting gender equality, enhancing the independence and accountability of the judicial system, improving the electoral legislation and practice, furthering reform of the penitentiary, probation and crime prevention systems, advancing the compliance of national practices with European standards in the field of media and internet, improving the quality of local democracy, strengthening the protection of economic and social rights, furthering the development of youth policies, facilitating the transition of young legal professionals into work, and encouraging civil society participation in decision making at all levels.
The Deputy Secretary General also had a number of bilateral meetings in Tbilisi, including with the Chairman of the Georgian Parliament, Mr Shalva Papuashvili, the Minister of Justice, Mr Rati Bregadze and the First Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr Lasha Darsalia.
In all the meetings, the ongoing efforts of Georgia to meet the criteria for the start of negotiations on accession to the European Union was discussed, noting that the Council of Europe’s recommendations - such as the Venice Commission on all key legislative amendments; GRECO on combating corruption; CPT on prisons; on combating violence against women and the successful implementation by Georgia of the Istanbul convention and also the impact of the work of several other Council of Europe entities and institutions, in particular the execution of judgments of the Court in Strasbourg, are of crucial importance to help Georgia prepare for its future EU membership.
The deteriorating human rights situation in the Russian-occupied regions of Georgia and the importance of Council of Europe bi-annual reporting was also discussed, as well as broader European issues - including the support of the Council of Europe to Ukraine and the important role of the Register of Damage caused by the Russian aggression against Ukraine, as well as the need for an international compensation mechanism for the victims.
Other issues discussed related to the follow-up of the Council of Europe Summit in Iceland in May last year.
The New Action Plan for Georgia is launched in the year when the Council of Europe celebrates its 75th anniversary and when Georgia marks its 25th anniversary of becoming the 41st European nation to join the continent’s leading human rights organisation.
