Day: October 16, 2026
Reiterating the pledge to spend EUR 38 million on new projects in Georgia, the EU Delegation in Georgia said the bloc no longer provides funding to Georgian authorities but continues to aid the “people of Georgia.”
The funding was first announced by the EU Ambassador to Georgia Pawel Herczynski during the Europe Day celebration in Georgia’s eastern Kakheti region on October 10. He said the funding would support projects focused on rural development, businesses, women’s empowerment, and environmental protection, hoping to sign the projects by the end of this year.
Later, in an October 16 Facebook post, the delegation said that the projects would “continue to make a real difference in the lives of families and communities across Georgia.”
The projects will focus on developing “economic opportunities in small cities and towns” and “skills for a changing labour market”; promoting “socio-economic development in rural areas, especially driven by women”; improving “access to markets and better food quality”; combating “violence towards women and girls”; supporting “safe and orderly migration”; strengthening “climate adaptation and disaster preparedness”; and continuing “support for communities in Abkhazia.”
“Due to Georgia’s democratic backsliding, the EU no longer provides funding to Georgian authorities. But we continue to deliver assistance to the people of Georgia. We reaffirm that commitment,” the statement said
The Embassy also highlighted the bloc’s long-standing support for Georgia, saying the EU had invested more than USD 2 billion in the country since 1992, including “transforming agriculture, supporting people in remote areas start their own businesses, improving air quality, and coordinating the upgrade of the East-West highway, among many other areas.”
The announcement comes amid continued strain in EU-Georgian relations, with the EU “de facto” halting Georgia’s integration in 2024 amid democratic concerns and reducing contacts with the Georgian Dream government. The EU officials have repeatedly stated that Georgia remains a candidate country “in name only,” while recent EU reports also noted that the bloc “continued to halt financial assistance directly benefiting Georgian authorities.”
The plans for new projects come as Georgian Dream has continued to restrict foreign funding directed towards civil society and media support, including through a series of laws and amendments.
It also follows the recent announcements by two German political foundations, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, that they were exiting Georgia after Georgian authorities rejected their funding applications under stricter grant laws.
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