European Commission for Georgia’s Inclusion in ‘Wider Europe’

The European Commission recommends inclusion of Georgia, along with Armenia and Azerbaijan, within the scope of the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP).

“The recent enlargement has brought us much closer to our neighbours in Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean region” Günter Verheugen, Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, said on May 12.

“Today we are proposing to reinforce our ties with these partner countries through an array of new forms of co-operation and assistance. We want to give them a real stake in the enlarged EU so that they too can develop and prosper. A ring of well-governed countries around the EU, offering new perspectives for democracy and economic growth, is in the interests of Europe as a whole,” he added 

The European Security Strategy, adopted by the European Council in December 2003, identifies the South Caucasus as one of the regions in which the EU should take a “stronger and more active interest”.