“ Georgia’s place is clearly in the European family,” said Anna Luhrmann, Minister of State for Europe and Climate at the German Federal Foreign Office, ahead of the informal meeting of European Affairs Ministers in Stockholm, Sweden.

“I’ve met so many committed Georgians that really want to be part of the EU. Unfortunately, what we heard from the commission so far, the government is not living up to those expectations at the moment. The reform pace is not where it should be, and it’s very clear that Georgian citizens demand their government to fulfil these reform priorities, not only for the sake of coming to the EU but also because it will make Georgia a freer country, a country that is more based on the rule of law.

Well, what we heard so far from the Commission, and we will hear more details today, is that really when it comes to the rule of law and judicial reform, there are a lot of issues. There were discussions also about how civil society has been treated, and we’ll learn more details later.

But for Germany, it’s very clear we would like to see Georgia in the EU and we are really supporting everyone in Georgia who wants to go on that path,” she said.