“The recommendation on granting candidate status to Georgia is a big recognition from the European Union of the progress achieved within the last years,” said Pawel Herczynski, EU Ambassador to Georgia.

“Congratulations! The European Union, European Commission has recommended that Georgia is granted candidate status. My sincere congratulations to all political leaders in Georgia, my sincere congratulations to the government, to the opposition, to the parliament, to the President, to the civil society, and to you to the media, but first and foremost, my sincere congratulations to the people of Georgia who have always, consistently, in an unwavering way have supported Georgia’s European path.

This is a big recognition from the European Union of the progress achieved within the last years. European aspirations are uniting all Georgians. I have not met one single Georgian citizen who did not wish that their country is not granted the candidate status,” he said.

The European Commission (EC) will recommend the European Council to grant candidate status to Georgia, said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, at the briefing jointly held with Olivér Várhelyi, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement.

The European Council will make the final decision in December.