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Marie Anne Isler Béguin préside le Comité Parlementaire de coopération UE-Géorgie

Posté le 15 juin 2005 par

Lundi 13 et mardi 14 juin s’est tenu le Comité de Coopération Parlementaire entre l’UE et la Géorgie. Petit pays du Sud Caucase, la Géorgie a fait sa révolution des roses en novembre 2003, et s’est engagée depuis sur la voie de réformes majeures. Les députés géorgiens de la délégation UE-Géorgie se sont rendus à Bruxelles pour rencontrer leurs homologues européens : deux jours de discussions visant à aboutir à la résolution suivante (en anglais seulement !) :

EU - GEORGIA

PARLIAMENTARY COOPERATION COMMITTEE

SEVENTH Meeting

13/14 June 2005

BRUSSELS

Final Statement and Recommendations

pursuant to Article 89 of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement

Under the co-chairmanship of Mrs ISLER BÉGUIN (Greens/EFA, France) and Mr David BAKRADZE, the seventh meeting of EU-Georgia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee was held in Brussels on 13/14 June 2005. The Committee exchanged views with H.E. Mr Konstantin ZALDASTANISHVILI, representing the Government of Georgia, H.E. Mr Carlo KRIEGER, Ambassador and President of the Working Group COEST Capitales, representing the Luxembourg Presidency-in-Office of the Council of the European Union, and Mr Kurt JUUL, Head of Unit for South Caucasus and Central Asia, representing the European Commission.

1. Stresses once again that the people of Georgia share a common destiny with other peoples of Europe, and that the integration of the Georgian people and their national institutions into European structures is in the mutual interest of both the EU and Georgia ; takes note of Georgia’s desire for future membership of both the EU and NATO and welcomes its wish for closer relations with Europe ;

2. welcomes the continued movement since the “Rose Revolution” towards the development of democracy, institutional reform, the protection of human rights, the full application of the rule of law and economic and social reforms and calls for this process to continue ; welcomes also the support given by Georgia to the democratic movement in Ukraine which contributed to the peaceful settlement of the crisis and the respect of the will of Ukrainians ;

3. takes note of the visit by U.S. President George W. Bush to Georgia, and welcomes his praise for the peaceful transformation of Georgia ;

4. expresses its deep sadness at the death of Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania, pays tribute to his extraordinary action in the promotion of peace and democracy and sends its condolences to his family and friends and the whole Georgian nation on this tragic loss ;

5. welcomes the visits of high ranking Georgian officials to Brussels in 2004 and 2005 ; supports their calls for greater freedom of movement between Georgia and the EU ;

6. welcomes the Council adoption on 21 February 2005 of the conclusion of Protocols to the PCA signed with Georgia to take account of the accession of the ten new EU Member States ;

7. welcomes the Commission’s country report on Georgia of 2 March 2005 in the context of the European Neighbourhood Policy and the decision by the Council to invite the Commission to initiate discussions to prepare an EU-Georgia ENP Action Plan ; stresses that effective and far-reaching political and economic reform must be at the heart of any such plan ; calls on the Council and Commission to take into account the views of the European Parliament during the process of drafting and consultation ;

8. supports the work of the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus region, Ambassador Heikki Talvitie, towards strengthening the relations between the EU and Georgia and the other two countries of the region ; calls on the Special Representative to play a more active role in this regard ; calls on the European Union to provide the Special Representative with all the necessary resources to make his action effective and visible in securing the EU’s policy goals in the region, including a willingness to mediate in the conflicts ;

9. recalls the results of the Donors’ Conference held in Brussels in June 2004 that was co-chaired by the European Commission and the World Bank : calls for donors to honour their pledges in support of the reform process in Georgia ; welcomes the significant increase in EC assistance to Georgia over the 2004-2006 period ;

10. stresses the need to continue the implementation of the OSCE recommendations on electoral reform, including the creation of a civil register, and the need to prepare the 2006 local elections within these guidelines ;

11. calls on Georgia to implement fully its pledge to improve conditions for prisoners ; notably by implementing the recommendation of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture : calls for allegations of torture or ill-treatment of detainees to be properly investigated and prosecuted ; notes the progress achieved by Georgia in this field ;

12. underlines the importance of continuing the ongoing efforts to fight corruption with the aim of eradicating this scourge through long-term structural measures, in line with the GRECO recommendations and fully respecting the rule of law and human rights ;

13. calls on the Georgia authorities to enhance further the protection of minorities and to comply with the Council of Europe’s relevant recommendations ;

14. supports the EUJUST THEMIS Rule of Law Mission to Georgia, which will soon complete its mission ; believes that this mission represents progress at establishing deeper and more effective relations between the EU and Georgia ; stresses the need for Georgia’s legal system to comply fully with European standards and norms ;

15. underlines the crucial importance of a free and independent media that is not afraid to criticise the government : urges all parties in Georgia to engage in a full and transparent debate on the functioning of the country in order to maintain the momentum of the political and economic reform process ;

16. welcomes the progress shown by the Georgian government towards harmonisation of Georgia’s legislation to EU legislation ; stresses the need to intensify implementation of the national programme on harmonisation of Georgia’s legislation to that of the EU ; recognises that harmonisation of legislation and the effective sharing of values create the basis for a new contractual relationship between the EU and Georgia ;

17. reiterates its full support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia ; strongly urges all sides to pursue the resolution of differences exclusively by peaceful means based on respect for the rule of law and human rights and to exercise restraint ; welcomes in this regard the willingness on the part of the EU to be more actively involved in the resolution of the conflicts in the region ;

18. regrets the continued situation in the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia ; stresses that the demilitarisation of the region, with the exception of the Joint Peace Keeping Force, is an important precondition for the search for a peaceful resolution of the problem ; welcomes President Saakashvili’s proposals on a high degree of autonomy within Georgia for South Ossetia and calls on the Tskhinvali authorities to examine them seriously ;

19. expresses deep concern that there are still displaced persons as a result of the conflicts in the country ; stresses that all refugees and internally displaced persons must have the right to a safe, secure and dignified return to their homes ;

20. calls on Georgia and Russia to form a new relationship based on mutual respect, as an improved climate would make it easier to find solutions to outstanding issues ; calls for a more constructive involvement of the Russian Federation in the process of conflict settlement through political negotiations ;

21. welcomes the UN-led meetings in Geneva on Abkhazia on 7-8 April 2005 ; supports an intensification of the UN-led negotiation process in the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict as a basis for a solution which fully respects the territorial integrity of Georgia and the right to self rule of minorities and minority rights ; calls on both sides to discuss all subjects, both economic and political ;

22. welcomes the announcement on 30 May 2005 that Russia has agreed to withdraw its remaining troops from Georgia by 2008 : stresses that this represents an important and constructive step and calls for the troop withdrawals to be fully implemented within the time scale agreed ;

23. takes note of the social and environmental problems which the base removals will cause ; calls on the Georgian government to take measures to counterbalance these problems by way of new investment in the areas affected ; calls on the Council, Commission and other donors to play an active role in assisting the Georgian government through special rehabilitation, environmental, employment and investment programmes ;

24. notes the situation on the Georgian-Russian border after the termination of the OSCE Border Monitoring Operation (BMO) and supports the desire of the Georgian government that an EU border monitoring mission should be sent to the region ; regrets that the absence of Russian support made it impossible to continue the border monitoring mission ; regrets, in this respect, the Council’s decision not to provide some form of replacement for such a mission ; calls on the Council and Commission to increase EU aid in the fight against terrorism in Georgia and increase funding towards the training of Georgian border guards ;

25. welcomes the opening of the Baky-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline ; underlines the importance of ensuring that EU environmental standards are fully addressed in its functioning and all other infrastructure projects ; notes that the pipeline should lead to an estimated 1% increase in Georgian GDP per annum and stresses that this new source of funding should be used transparently and to support the well-being of the Georgian population ;

26. welcomes the conclusions of the GUAM summit of 21/22 April 2005 in Chisinau, Moldova, which called for a joint approach to regional separatism, a co-ordinated policy on foreign troops presence in GUAM countries, and new economic mechanisms ; notes the importance of promoting democracy, peace and prosperity in the Black Sea region for the whole of Europe ; calls for GUAM to continue to increase its role in regional development in both economic and political areas.

Adopted unanimously.

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