Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, on Friday said Tbilisi had done “a lot” for obtaining the bloc’s membership candidate status, but added “a lot still needs to be done”, after her meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili in Granada, Spain, on Thursday, on the sidelines of the European Political Community Summit. 

She urged the country to “use the opportunity” and take actions to show “clear progress” in the conditions outlined by the bloc last year for granting Tbilisi its membership candidate status later this year. 

“The experience of enlargement shows that it has been of enormous benefit to countries and society. Not only did accession bring benefits to the new members, where living standards rose very rapidly, but it also brought enormous benefits to the EU as a whole. Our greatest strength is the single market, and the growth of this market is an added value for everyone," the EU official said. 

The European Commission will release its final report on Tbilisi’s efforts to meet the candidacy conditions either this month, or early November, which will be used by the European Council in December to decide on the country’s status.