Georgian Institute of Politics “Georgian-German relations: Partnership Review” Presentation of the Report Date: July 18, 2019 Venue: Ivane Javakhishvili , I Building, 107 Auditorium Chavchavadze ave. 1

After signing the Association Agreement has reiterated its commitment to follow the European way, pushing forward with the reforms necessary for closer integration with the EU and expanding functional integration. However, while Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration continues at political level, on the societal level we can witness an increasingly visible fatigue with certain European values, such as open society and democracy, reinforced with the effects of Russia’s propaganda.

One of the major weaknesses of the current Europeanization process is the gap between Georgian society and the rest of the EU, which exists because of lacking common experiences, participation in common public debates. The Georgian public often perceives Germany as a sceptical and hesitant partner concerning Georgia’s European aspirations. For instance, the delay in granting visa-free travel to Georgian citizens was partly based on German concerns. Angela Merkel’s visit to the South Caucasus in August 2018 raised hopes in Georgia for an increased interest and support from the German side towards Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration, but these expectations were largely disappointed.

At the same time, Germany was the first country of the then European Community to recognise Georgia’s independence and is Georgia’s largest bilateral partner in development cooperation. Furthermore, the German government supported the creation of the Eastern Partnership in 2009 and strongly advocated the signing of the Association Agreement with Georgia.

The event will highlight the particular role of Germany for Georgia’s European aspirations as well as possible ways to align mutual expectations.

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AGENDA

09:30 – 10:00 Registration with coffee

10:00 – 10:20 Welcome

 Vakhtang Makharoblishvili, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia (TBC)  Giorgi Sharvashidze, Rector, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University

10:20 – 10:45 Paper presentation:

 Dr. Kornely Kakachia, Director, Georgian Institute of Politics  Viktoria Palm, Research Associate, Institut für Europäische Politik

10:45 – 12:30 Panel discussion:

Moderator: Dr. Stefan Meister, Director, South Caucasus Office, Boell Foundation

Speakers:  H.E. Hubert Knirsch, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Georgia  Sophia Katsarava, Chairperson, Committee on Foreign Affairs,  Dr. Sascha Ternes, CEO, German business Association  David Usupashvili, Chairperson, “”

Q&A

12:30 Lunch reception

The event is organized in the framework of the program “Europeanization beyond Process”, funded by the Open Society Initiative for Europe.

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