“The EU candidate status for Georgia, first and foremost, means a recognition of the strong support that the people of Georgia have demonstrated for its European future. Georgia’s future in the EU is linked to fulfilling several important steps, the famous 9 steps,” said EU Ambassador to Georgia, Paweł Herczyński answering questions of Georgian citizens through the social media.

According to the Ambassador, addressing the 9 steps is crucial to move to the next stage, which is opening of negotiations for EU accession.

“Addressing them is crucial for Georgia to move to the next stage, which is opening the accession negotiations. All these steps and stages are not to “please Brussels” but to improve the lives of the people of Georgia and bring Georgia closer to the EU standards.

As Georgia has embarked on the path of EU membership, it is up to political leaders to work constructively together and to involve civil society and business to address the people of Georgia’s European aspiration. You can be sure that the EU will support Georgia every step of the way,” he said.

Answering the question “Could the EU candidate status improve labour rights in Georgia and facilitate legal employment opportunities for Georgian citizens in EU countries?,” the Ambassador said:

“The EU and Georgia are working together on developing the job and labour market for Georgian citizens by expanding high quality vocational education, improving labour policies, and supporting entrepreneurship training.

As part its accession process, Georgia will have to align all its legislation in the field of employment and labour to the EU acquis, the body of EU law, and ensure its enforcement.  This will include improvements related to working conditions, working times, non-discrimination and other employee rights and obligations.

As EU Membership ultimately means accepting and enjoying the “four freedoms” – freedom of movement of goods, capital, services and people – Georgian citizens will benefit from full labour rights within the whole EU once Georgia joins the EU. These include social protection and obligatory insurance, formal employment, salaries, and pensions. During the accession process, the Georgian Government will have to address the current gap between Georgia and the EU in terms of labour standards and social protection.”