Georgia – Conversation between Catherine Colonna and Salomé Zourabichvili, President of Georgia (Mar. 13, 2023)

On March 13, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna welcomed Salomé Zourabichvili, President of Georgia.

The minister took this opportunity to share France’s support for Georgia’s EU integration process. In keeping with the 12 recommendations made by the European Commission in June 2022, she stressed the need to step up reforms to strengthen the rule of law and thereby have the possibility of obtaining candidate status.

Catherine Colonna commended the Georgian government on its decision to withdraw the bill on “foreign agents.” Moving forward, she called for maintaining the utmost caution regarding any initiative that is likely to harm the cohesion of Georgian society.

The minister also underscored her commitment to the continued strengthening of bilateral relations and her support of Georgia in the face of Russia’s attempts at destabilization.

The European Union – France applauds the publication of the EU Space Strategy for Security and Defence (Mar. 13, 2023)

France applauds the March 10^th publication of the European Union’s Space Strategy for Security and Defence, which was called for and supported by France. This strategy is part of the implementation of the Strategic Compass, adopted under France’s 2022 EU Council presidency, which called on the EU to become a player in contested strategic domains such as cyberspace and outer space.

This strategy offers the EU and its Member States an ambitious shared policy framework for protecting their interests in space, which are essential to the well-being of millions of European citizens. It allows for joint analysis of space-based threats and suggests institutional, diplomatic, and capacity-building responses.

Like France’s 2019 space defense strategy, the Joint Communication on this strategy constitutes an effort to be transparent about the EU’s goals and resources in this domain. It complies with international law and is consistent with ongoing efforts to establish responsible standards for behavior in space that are being carried out with the full participation of France and the EU.