Page 9 - bne IntelliNews Georgia country report November 2017

2016, the Georgian Dream party secured enough seats in parliament to pass bills on its own. The parliament, which it dominates, set up a commission comprised of politicians from different parties, civil society, the president and others earlier this year.
However, Margvelashvili boycotted the commission and subsequent attempts to reach consensus because he was not appointed its chairperson and because he strongly opposed plans to switch to a parliamentary governance system in which the president is appointed by parliament.
Since an initial draft was devised in May, the draft has experienced several rounds of changes and has received largely positive feedback from the Venice Commission, the constitutional law body operating under the Council of Europe.
However, neither the commission's positive feedback nor the changes have placated criticism from Margvelashvili and opposition parties, who have accused Georgian Dream of seeking to tighten its grip on power.
Margvelashvili's term ends in 2018. As per the new constitution, the next president will run in elections and be voted in just as he or she has been until now, with the changes only coming into force starting in 2024. However, it is unclear whether Margvelashvili, who has had repeated confrontations with the ruling party in recent years over issues ranging from justice reform to monetary policy, will run for a second term.
2.4 Ukrainian, Georgian and Moldovan MPs ask for EU membership perspective
Six Ukrainian, Georgian and Moldovan MPs have issued a communique asking the EU to offer their countries a membership perspective at the next Eastern Partnership summit in November.
All three countries have signed deep and comprehensive free trade agreements (DCFTAs) with the bloc and have been working on meeting the EU's democracy and economic standards. Many see the two-speed Eastern Partnership, which comprises of more Europe-centred countries like Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova, but also of Belarus, Azerbaijan and Armenia, as a symptom of Brussels' expansion fatigue. In the absence of political feasibility for further bloc expansion, the scheme ensures that the bloc's eastern flank is nevertheless aligned with its values and markets.
In the communique, the six authors ask that the EU open a membership perspective at the upcoming summit, that a new European investment plan be introduced and that Brussels supports their participation in EU agencies and community programmes.
The development comes with the European Parliament having prepared a draft report recommending further integration between the bloc and its eastern neighbours by abolishing roaming charges and developing high-capacity broadband.
9 GEORGIA Country Report November 2017 www.intellinews.com