Day: July 1, 2024

Georgia’s Euro 2024 journey ends with a 4:1 loss to Spain. Spain, after a rough start, got the result they wanted and deserved. Georgia played their part and left its first major tournament with heads held high. Georgia’s players and staff will return home with many a story to regale about their heroic exploits at their first major tournament. They did themselves and their fans proud again, even if the scoreline had taken on a more bruising look by the end. 

European Council adopted conclusions in which, among other things, it expressed “serious concern” about developments in Georgia and “calls on Georgian authorities to clarify their intentions by reversing the current course of actions which jeopardizes Georgia’s EU path, de facto leading to a halt of the accession process.”

Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands and the future NATO Secretary General said during his arrival and doorstep remarks before the European Council meeting on June 27 that he’s “worried about the EU accession path of Georgia” and called on Georgia to return to the EU path. He declined to comment on Georgia’s NATO integration before he officially takes office as NATO Secretary General saying: “I am not going to comment on NATO-related issues until 1 October.”

Georgia is invited to attend the July 9-11 NATO summit in Washington at the foreign minister level, the Georgian bureau of Voice of America reported, citing State Department spokesman Mathew Miller. The State Department allegedly has not received an official response to the invitation from Tbilisi. Earlier in the week, it became known that the U.S. was planning to invite Georgia to the NATO Summit in Washington when Assistant Secretary of State James O’Brien made a statement to the foreign media.

Permanent Representative of Lithuania at the UN agencies in Geneva, Ambassador Darius Staniulis, delivered a joint statement of 36 countries at the UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, urging the Georgian government to “revoke the “transparency of foreign influence” law,” to end the campaign of intimidation against those objecting to the law and protect freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.”

On the last day of the spring session, June 28, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze presented his annual report to Parliament, claiming credit for football success, also proudly speaking of the progress in the economy, education, sports, health, etc. Most opposition members, except Girchi, were absent, as they have been boycotting the sessions since the adoption of the foreign agents’ law. PM Kobakhidze also said EU integration “remains the main foreign policy priority” and repeated with confidence that “by 2030, Georgia will be prepared better than any other candidate country” for EU membership.

Transparency International Georgia published a report on the political donations of 15 political parties in Georgia in 2023. According to the findings, out of the total funds the ruling Georgian Dream party received the most – 62%. The report also underlined the shortcomings of the Anti-Corruption Bureau’s supervision of party finances, criticized changes in Georgian legislation, overviewed the types of political party donors, and outlined recommendations for both the Bureau and political parties.

The Georgian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (EaP CSF GNP) welcomes the EU’s decision to start the accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. The Platform congratulates the people of Ukraine and Moldova for their “historic achievement” and their transition to a new stage in EU integration.

Another Georgian fighter, Amiran Zoidze, was killed while fighting in the vicinity of Avdiivka in Ukraine, Georgian Warriors-Special Unit Tbilisi, of which Zoidze was a member, reported on 28 June. The Foreign Ministry confirmed Zoidze’s death to Civil.ge. The latest casualty brings to 52 the unofficial death toll of Georgian citizens who have died fighting in Ukraine since the Russian invasion on February 24.

The Data of the Day

National Statistics Office released rapid estimates, indicating that Georgia’s estimated real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate amounted to 9.2% for May 2024 compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.