Coalition for Euro-Atlantic Georgia - Georgia's Euro-Atlantic aspirations must be constitutionally guaranteed
The Georgian Parliament has launched discussions on amending the Constitution. Non-governmental organizations, including members of the Coalition for Euro-Atlantic Georgia, have called the Constitutional Commission to include the country’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations in the preamble of the Constitution.
We believe that the inclusion of Euro-Atlantic aspirations in the Georgian Constitution is essential. This will strengthen the basis for developing a European-style democracy in Georgia and reaffirm its foreign policy priorities. Even though Georgia’s foreign policy has been declared, this is not reflected in the country’s guiding document – the Constitution. Considering the fact that Georgia is constantly facing significant foreign policy challenges, the above change would guarantee that Georgia’s domestic and foreign policies remain on the single correct course.
The Coalition for Euro-Atlantic Georgia suggests the following wording:
“We, the citizens of Georgia, whose firm will is to establish a democratic social order, economic freedom, a rule-of-law and a social state, to secure universally recognized human rights and freedoms, to enhance state independence and peaceful relations with other peoples, drawing inspiration from our country’s European and Euro-Atlantic course, centuries-old traditions of statehood of the Georgian nation and the historical-legal legacy of the Constitution of Georgia of 1921, proclaim the present Constitution before God and the nation.”
We call on the Parliament and the Constitutional Commission to consider our proposal and to make the above change to the Constitution. This will ensure the consistency of Georgia’s strategic foreign policy course.
The Coalition for Euro-Atlantic Georgia is a coalition of 23 organizations that aims to support Georgia’s integration with Euro-Atlantic structures.
Member organizations are:
Transparency International Georgia
Civil Development Agency
International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy
Open Society Georgia Foundation
Georgia's Reforms Associates (GRASS)
Atlantic Council of Georgia
Georgian Farmers Association
Institute for Development of Freedom of Information
The Economic Policy Research Center
Green Alternative
Georgian Center for Security and Development
Media Development Foundation
UN Association of Georgia
Society and Banks
Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies
Georgian Democracy Initiative
Georgian Institute of Politics
Regional Centre for Strategic Studies
Voice from Georgia
Liberal Academy Tbilisi
Union Safari
World Experience for Georgia (WEG)