On 18 July 2013, EUGBC Annual Members’ Meeting was held in EUGBC member TBC Bank’s head office in Tbilisi. The meeting was opened by H.E. Ms. Natalie Sabanadze, Ambassador to Belgium and Luxemburg and Head of Georgian Mission to the EU and H.E. Mr. Renaud Salins, Ambassador of France to Georgia.

The French Ambassador Salins briefed the Council members on the current state and future of EU-Georgia and France-Georgia relations. Mr. Salins stated that by concluding the negotiations on the Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA), Georgia enters an important phase in the relations with the EU. It is therefore crucial, he said, that the legal and institutional reforms launched in the country during the negotiations are successfully implemented in the coming years. The Ambassador stressed that the role and active involvement of the business community in this important reform process is vital.

Ambassador Sabanadze greeted the EUGBC members and informed that she will depart for Brussels in few days. Ms. Sabanadze thereby underlined that the meeting with EUGBC is her first official meeting in her role as Ambassador. Ambassador Sabanadze spoke about the implication of the Association Agreement, including DCFTA for Georgia and for the businesses at large. To this end, she emphasized the importance of EUGBC activities and stated that the Georgian Embassy in Belgium and Luxemburg and the Mission to the EU will ensure close cooperation with the Council as well as with wider business community in Georgia and in the EU.