According to Katarina Mathernova, Deputy Director General at DG Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, Georgia's separation from Ukraine and Moldova contains an important message.

As Katarina Mathernova told Voice of America, Georgia has already done a lot to continue the construction process.

At the same time, Mathernova thinks that for this Georgia needs to actually overcome political polarization that has existed in the country in recent years and make EU membership a real ambition of the whole nation.

"To tell you the truth, two years ago, at the end of last year, even at the beginning of this year, I could not imagine that in June 2022 we would have a concrete conversation on the European perspective of Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova. In this respect, it is an incredibly important and beneficial step for all these countries and the EU. The Commission's proposal says it clearly that Georgia will be granted candidate status only after concrete steps are taken. These are, in fact, preconditions for Georgia to receive candidate status. To put it simply, this is a reflection of the recent concerns about political polarization, fragmentation of the political spectrum in the country, state of the judiciary and influence of personal interests," said Katarina Mathernova.

Asked about de-oligarchization as one of the conditions, Mathernova said:

"I think this is an important step, but let me emphasize that the concern about de-oligarchization was recorded not only with regard to Georgia. This "red zone" is a threat to Moldova and Ukraine as well. I think the whole post-Soviet region has these problems”, she said.