The Monitoring Committee of PACE has welcomed the “continuous and marked progress” made by Georgia in honouring its Council of Europe membership obligations and commitments since 2014, but added that a number of shortcomings and concerns remain.

Approving a draft resolution today, based on a report by Titus Corlatean (Romania, SOC) and Claude Kern (France, ALDE), the committee said the “extremely tense and polarised political environment” in Georgia was an issue of serious concern. This was a “key impediment” to Georgia’s democratic consolidation, it said, urging all political forces to “place the common good of the nation over any narrow party-political strategies”.

The parliamentarians listed a number of steps the authorities could take to advance electoral reform, increase parliamentary oversight, promote the independence of the judiciary, boost the fight against corruption, expand media freedom, and protect the LGBTI+ community.

The committee resolved to continue its monitoring procedure, but said its recommendations provided a “clear perspective” for Georgia’s progression towards post-monitoring dialogue – but only with the “full commitment and political will” of all political forces, from both the ruling party and the opposition, and if there is no “backsliding or regression” in progress to date.

The Assembly is due to debate the report on Thursday 28 April, during its spring plenary session.