Future Associates: An Overview of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of some legal aspects of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement (AA) in the system of European Union law as an important foreign policy instrument for the regulation of bilateral relations. It outlines the history and mechanisms of the political and economic cooperation between the European Union and Georgia prior to the conclusion of the Association Agreement. The article also examines the implication of the AA for the process of European integration of Georgia and analyses some legal challenges and results of the implementation process. In addition, the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA), which forms an integral part to the AA, is scrutinized as particularly significant for
the economic integration of Georgia in the EU and for the mutual liberalization of trade.