Commissioner Varhelyi’s competences more economic than political - Kakha Gogolashvili

Commissioner Varhelyi’s competences more economic than political - Kakha Gogolashvili

Oliver Varhelyi is the European Union commissioner for neighbourhood and enlargement. His field of action and competence is more economic and investment programmes, projects, although this does not mean that he does not have the mandate and the right to also speak on political issues, but in a limited manner, because the foreign political department is engaged in this,  Director of the Center for European Studies Kakha Gogolashvili told Front News on Tuesday, in comments of visit of the EU official to Georgia. 

He said that the EU official “clearly stated” that Georgia must fulfill 12- point conditions to receive the EU membership candidate status. 

"Blaming the opposition was probably more from the side of the Prime Minister and emphasizing that the opposition does not cooperate with the government. Varhelyi, apparently under his competences, said one phrase that ``everyone needs to be involved in this process”, Gogolashvili said. 

“His main message was making emphasis on the projects that already exist within the framework of the neighborhood policy and will have if Georgia receives the status of a candidate country from the European Union. He himself mentioned at the press conference that he arrived with two mandates - to cooperate within the framework of the Eastern Partnership and as the Commissioner for EU enlargement negotiations”, Gogolashvili said.

The analyst suggested that the main goal of the visit could be the implementation of the economic and investment plan initiated by the European Union in 2020, which includes “quite significant investments from the EU both for Georgia and otherr Eastern European countries”. 

“For Georgia in particular it is within the limits of 3.9 billion euros in total, but it also includes private investments. It is not just grants. Here is the main political support. The European Commission will seriously support the laying of a high-voltage power transmission cable on the bottom of the Black Sea, which will connect our electricity system with the European electricity system. It has become very urgent to accelerate this, it is also important for the EU itself, for Ukraine, for Moldova. Also an optical fiber cable that will connect Georgia with the European system. The European Union allocates a considerable amount of money to this project as well. Apart from that, it is quite important that 80 thousand small and medium businesses should be financed, both in agriculture and in other fields", said Gogolashvili.





Oliver Varhelyi is the European Union commissioner for neighbourhood and enlargement. His field of action and competence is more economic and investment programmes, projects, although this does not mean that he does not have the mandate and the right to also speak on political issues, but in a limited manner, because the foreign political department is engaged in this,  Director of the Center for European Studies Kakha Gogolashvili told Front News on Tuesday, in comments of visit of the EU official to Georgia. 

He said that the EU official “clearly stated” that Georgia must fulfill 12- point conditions to receive the EU membership candidate status. 

"Blaming the opposition was probably more from the side of the Prime Minister and emphasizing that the opposition does not cooperate with the government. Varhelyi, apparently under his competences, said one phrase that ``everyone needs to be involved in this process”, Gogolashvili said. 

“His main message was making emphasis on the projects that already exist within the framework of the neighborhood policy and will have if Georgia receives the status of a candidate country from the European Union. He himself mentioned at the press conference that he arrived with two mandates - to cooperate within the framework of the Eastern Partnership and as the Commissioner for EU enlargement negotiations”, Gogolashvili said.

The analyst suggested that the main goal of the visit could be the implementation of the economic and investment plan initiated by the European Union in 2020, which includes “quite significant investments from the EU both for Georgia and otherr Eastern European countries”. 

“For Georgia in particular it is within the limits of 3.9 billion euros in total, but it also includes private investments. It is not just grants. Here is the main political support. The European Commission will seriously support the laying of a high-voltage power transmission cable on the bottom of the Black Sea, which will connect our electricity system with the European electricity system. It has become very urgent to accelerate this, it is also important for the EU itself, for Ukraine, for Moldova. Also an optical fiber cable that will connect Georgia with the European system. The European Union allocates a considerable amount of money to this project as well. Apart from that, it is quite important that 80 thousand small and medium businesses should be financed, both in agriculture and in other fields", said Gogolashvili.