Romanian Parliament official: Romania sees Georgia's EU entry by 2030 as “realistic”

A highly engaging and amicable meeting took place between representatives of the Georgian Parliament and Ioan Mihalcea, the Deputy Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Romanian Parliament.

The discussions provided an opportunity to gain deeper insights into Georgia's internal economic and political situation, as well as its strategic path toward European Union integration.

Following the meeting with Levan Makashvili, the Chair of the Committee on European Integration, and Nikoloz Samkharadze, the Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, Mihalcea reaffirmed Romania’s unwavering support for Georgia’s EU aspirations.

Mihalcea expressed optimism that Georgia’s European Union integration by 2030 was a realistic goal.

“It was an insightful and friendly discussion. We had the opportunity to learn more about Georgia’s internal economic and political landscape, as well as the pragmatic approach the Georgian Government is taking to determine the best path and direction to ensure a strong and stable European trajectory. It was also a great occasion to reaffirm the very good and pleasant bilateral relations between our countries and Romania’s unwavering support for Georgia’s EU integration. Furthermore, we had a very interesting exchange on security cooperation, particularly concerning the Black Sea region. Both sides, especially the Romanian delegation, emphasised their belief in the effectiveness and success of parliamentary diplomacy in contributing to the benefit of both Romania and Georgia”, the official said.

Regarding Georgia’s EU membership prospects, Mihalcea noted that the country must fulfil specific legislative and economic criteria, but he sees a 2028-2030 timeline as a realistic target.

“From Georgia’s perspective, EU membership can be achieved step by step, meaning that Georgia must first fulfil certain legislative and economic criteria set by the EU. This suggests that a 2028-2030 timeline for full integration could be realistic, or potentially even sooner. We, in Romania, are keeping our fingers crossed for Georgia to achieve this at the earliest suitable time”, Mihalcea noted.

He further emphasised that there was an optimistic expectation in Romania that Georgia’s EU integration by 2030 was a realistic prospect.

“There is an optimistic expectation in Romania that Georgia’s integration into the EU by 2030 is a realistic perspective. Of course, in diplomacy, five years is not a long time. If the regional and international context remains favourable, I believe this is an achievable timeframe”, he concluded.