Celebrations in Tbilisi as Georgia takes first step towards EU membership

Crowds celebrated outside the president's palace in Georgia's capital as Tbilisi took another step towards EU membership.

Transcript

00:00 A celebration outside the President's palace as Georgia takes another step towards EU membership.

00:07 Eighteen months after asking to join the bloc, on Wednesday the European Council recommended

00:17 that the country should be granted candidate status.

00:25 The European Council has approved the candidate status.

00:32 This is our message to Russia. This is our message to the occupation.

00:40 To gain full membership, Georgia still has to reform its foreign policy sanctions, improve

00:47 press and court freedom and push back against false information and political polarisation.

00:53 I didn't expect that my country would be so strong.

00:56 I didn't expect that. But I think that everything is clear.

01:01 We have to show that we are strong and that we are united.

01:05 We have to show that we are a Georgian people.

01:08 We are a Georgian people. We are united.

01:10 This is a promise. We have to show that.

01:12 This is our message to the occupation.

01:16 We have to show that. We have to show that.

01:23 We have to show that.

01:28 This is our message to the occupation.

01:33 EU member states are yet to sign off on the Council's recommendation.

01:39 That decision will come in December.

01:42 Georgia's government has faced mounting international criticism over a perceived backsliding on

01:48 democracy and engaging with Russia.

01:50 In September, top EU diplomat Joseph Borrell said it had to work harder to align with EU policies.

01:57 [WHOOSH]