The Minister of Education and Science of Georgia Giorgi Amilakhvari, who is on a working visit to Brussels, held a meeting with European Commissioner for Budget and Administration- Johannes Hahn.

The Minister thanked the EU Commissioner for the support to the Georgian education system and stated that it was precisely Mr. Hahn, who was the main initiator to establish the Eastern partnership European School, a unique and important project in Georgia. 

According to Giorgi Amilakhvari, the idea of the European school project is an important cornerstone of Georgia's successful cooperation with the European Union, which is fully supported by the Georgian Government. 

Minister Amilakhvari informed the European Commissioner about the details of the project implementation and stated that the construction of the school facility is underway according to the planned schedule and very soon there will be an educational institution that meets international standards in Georgia, which in turn will give the next generation of Georgians the opportunity to receive a high quality European education. 

Additionally, Giorgi Amilakhvari discussed the topic of integrating the Eastern Partnership European School in the Network of the accredited European Schools as a full member. Minister expressed his readiness to start the necessary procedures for obtaining the European school candidate status. 

Minister Amilakhvari also expressed his hope for the continuous support from the European Commission in the successful implementation of the Eastern Partnership European School project and ensuring its sustainability. 

On his part, the Commissioner Hahn thanked Giorgi Amilakhvari for the strong support and dedicated effort the Ministry extends towards efficient implementation of the Eastern Partnership European School project. 

At the meeting, Giorgi Amilakhvari emphasized the importance of positive decision with regard to granting Georgia the candidate status. Also, Minister Amilakhvari discussed the implementation of supporting initiatives for the Georgian students. In particular, the Minister underlined the need to develop mechanisms that would allow young people from Georgia to enjoy the same conditions as the European students.

During the meeting, the sides also discussed the possibilities of allocating financial resources to support the ongoing reforms in the field of education and science within the scope of the EU enlargement policy package, which is of the utmost importance to accelerate the alignment of the Georgian education and science system to the EU acquis.