Germany’s presidency of the Council of the European Union and how it affects Georgia’s interests
Policy of the Council of the EU president country is especially important for Georgia in the present year because it is facing numerous challenges and op- portunities in 2020. It is of utmost importance for Georgia to receive Germany’s help in handling the health, economic and social crisis caused by the corona- virus pandemic, conducting the 2020 parliamentary elections in a free and fair environment, strengthening the rule of law, ensuring media freedom, combating disinformation campaign and bolstering the quality of democracy in general. In addition, 2020 is important in that postponement of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) Summit until 2021 gives Georgia as well as Ukraine and Moldova an op- portunity to take the cooperation with the EU beyond sectoral integration offers and have a more ambitious (differentiated) approach approved at the summit in March. Approach of the president country has always been imperative for Georgia and even more so in 2020, because it is important for Germany’s poli- cy to facilitate the process of Georgia’s Eurpeanization.