Let me thank you for giving me this wonderful opportunity to have a frank and informal discussion with you. The meetings where I engage with students – the future of this country – and the academic personnel who nurture and inspire them are most valuable.

Over time, the voice of the young generation, your voice, has become increasingly vocal in support of Georgia's path to EU membership. That voice was well heard in the European Union: you see yourselves as future citizens of the EU.

In December of last year, we all witnessed and celebrated together a historic decision by the European Council to grant Georgia candidate status for EU membership.

The candidate status was linked to fulfilling important 9 steps. Addressing these steps would not only foster Georgia's growth as a democratic state but would also chart a clear path towards EU membership. This is the nature of the enlargement process: constant, transformational reforms so that your country can be ready to take its place as a full member of the EU.

But where do we stand today? Instead of focusing on completing the 9 steps, we are dealing with the damage caused by the law on the transparency of foreign influence.  

There have been repeated calls to withdraw the law from Georgians, particularly young Georgians, but also international partners and the leadership of EU institutions. Despite these calls, the law was adopted, much to our regret. As stated on numerous occasions by EU leaders, the adoption of this law will negatively impact Georgia’s progress on the EU path. This law, even before it fully enters into force, has already sparked unnecessary tension within Georgian society and led to increased polarisation.

Today, with the adoption of this law Georgia is not closer but further from the EU.

What comes next? June promises to be a busy month, with developments in Georgia set to be discussed between EU Member States, including at the European Council. As President Michel stated, Georgia will be added to the agenda and the leaders of the 27 EU member states will discuss the future of EU-Georgia relations after the adoption the law.

By the end of the year, the European Commission will once again publish a report on Georgia (and other candidate countries), where the progress on EU-related reforms will be assessed. This will be a detailed merit-based assessment, after which the EU member states will decide whether to move to the next stage of European integration of Georgia, namely to open accession negotiations.

Regrettably, a significant amount of time has already passed from December last year when Georgia was granted the candidate status. There is not much time left, especially considering the understandable focus on the upcoming parliamentary elections. However, I still believe that if there is a determined will, there is always a way forward.

It is all in the hands of Georgia and the Georgians. The government and the people. And here I want to stress the role that each of you play in this process. You are the future leaders of tomorrow. You are smart, motivated, active students full of energy and enthusiasm. This is what Georgia needs today.

The EU integration will be a complex and challenging endeavour but the one which will also yield many opportunities. I encourage you to take full benefit of these opportunities. I sincerely wish you success along the way.

Thank you once again for being firm supporters of Georgia’s European path. Every democratic country relies on dedicated citizens like you.