“The US designated a set of judges who were notorious within Georgia for control of the judicial system. This is one of the first requirements for Georgia to make progress toward its European perspective,” said Ambassador James O’Brien, Head of the Office of Sanctions Coordination at the U.S. Department of State at the hearing in the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

According to James O’Brien, improvements in the appointment, disciplining, and monitoring of judges are a “key area” for making progress on the EU integration path.

“This is one of the first requirements for Georgia to make progress toward its European perspective. We’re working closely with the European Union and have made clear to the Georgian government that improvements on the appointment, disciplining, and monitoring of judges is a key area for making progress. More broadly, I met this week with a group of civil society activists from Georgia. It’s one of the most vibrant groups in the world. I’m sure you all saw the same set of people. They embody the commitment of the Georgian people.

More than 90% of Georgian people say they want to be part of Europe. There’s no polarization on that. What has to happen is the group of economic interests behind the government need to be made aware that the reforms necessary to join Europe are, in fact, where the country is moving.

So, we’re working with our European colleagues to make clear that the conditions they have set are also reflected in our assistance and in our conditions and that we need to see progress on these over the next month. The fall will be critical because of the report that will come from the European Council,” he said.

EU Sanctions Envoy David O’Sullivan, Head of the Office of Sanctions Coordination at the US State Department, Ambassador James O’Brien, and Director General, Economics, Science and Technology at the UK Foreign Office, Kumar Iyer, visited Georgia on June 27.