March 2, 2016 Tbilisi,Georgia
H.E Federica MogheriniHigh Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and
Security Policy/Vice President of the European Commission
European Commission
Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 2001049 Brussels , Belgium
Dear High Representative Mogherini,
We are writing to address you regarding the forthcoming negotiations between the European Union andGeorgia on a new Association Agenda. We are members of the informal coalition of civil societyorganizations supported by Open Society Georgia Foundation (OSGF). The informal coalition wasestablished in 2014 to increase government accountability by monitoring the implementation of the EUGeorgiaAssociation Agreement. The coalition’s efforts have included producing monitoring reports andpolicy briefs and engaging with the Government of Georgia and EU institutions to promote Georgia’s EUintegration process.
We appreciate the continuous support of the European Union to Georgia and its European integrationprocess. Over the past few years, Georgia has made significant progress in all areas covered by theAssociation Agreement and remains committed to its European choice.
The EU has repeatedly highlighted the important role that Georgian civil society plays in promoting thecountry’s European agenda, pushing for reforms and holding the government accountable. What wehave encountered in our efforts is that the Association Agreement and initial Association Agenda setbroad objectives and commitments in the areas of political and rule of law reform, allowing forambiguity in the implementation process. Given that the powerful incentives and detailed monitoring ofthe visa liberations process are coming to an end, a new tool will be needed to define a clear blueprintfor reforms. We believe that an ambitious and detailed Association Agenda could serve as that tool.
As the EU and Georgia deepen their relations and approach the negotiations on a new AssociationAgenda, we argue that the European External Action Service, the EU Delegation to Georgia and the Government of Georgia should:
Negotiate a more ambitious and detailed Association Agenda, including clear benchmarks andmeasurable indicators of progress in reforms;Allow for meaningful consultations with civil society, political actors and other interested parties on thedraft Association Agenda.
Creating a detailed Association Agenda that includes clear and measurable objectives would allow civilsociety organizations to meaningfully monitor reforms, provide input to the government and the EU andkeep track of progress or lack thereof. In addition, drafting the Association Agenda through an inclusiveprocess would help to ensure the buy-in of and continued cooperation among the government, civilsociety and society at large in the reform process and their commitment to contribute to its success.
We stand ready to participate in such consultations and share our expertise in the respective areas.
Yours sincerely,
Keti Khutsishvili, Executive Director of Open Society Georgia Foundation (OSGF)
Ana Natsvlishvili, Chairwoman of Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA)
Eka Gigauri, Executive Director of Transparency International Georgia
Tsira Chanturia, South Caucasus Regional Director of Penal Reform International
Nino Elbakidze, Executive Director of “Article 42 of the Constitution”
Babutsa Pataraia, Executive Director of Union Sapari
Ana Abashidze, Chairperson of Partnership for Human Rights
Kornely Kakachia, Director of Georgian Institute of Politics
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