MP Zarkua: ‘Georgia leads on every criterion, yet certain EU politicians still lecture us’

Georgian Parliament’s Diaspora Committee Chair Irakli Zarkua on Monday criticised what he described as “double standards” within the European Union following the publication of a major EU-commissioned study on corruption risks across Europe.

The report, prepared by the European Research Centre for Anti-corruption and State-Building and funded through the EU’s Research and Innovation programme, ranked Georgia second only to Ireland in progress on de-oligarchisation.

“This means that every institution - the Government, parliament, ministries and the courts - functions properly, fairly and at a high standard. That is the real conclusion of this research,” Zarkua said.

He said one part of the EU evaluated Georgia “objectively”, reflecting its achievements in official studies, while “another part repeats claims of democratic backsliding”, which he attributed to lobbying efforts by the Georgian opposition United National Movement.

Zarkua highlighted that official EU research painted a contrasting picture: Georgia’s state budget has been ranked among the most transparent for years; the country has maintained strong economic growth; it has not violated international sanctions, including those related to Russia; and it remains a regional leader in reforms and governance.

“According to every criterion, Georgia is in first place among candidate states. This is reflected in the objective analysis of the European Commission, as well as assessments by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund,” Zarkua said.

He again referred to a recently publicised investigation alleging that UNM-funded lobbyists drafted critical resolutions for certain EU politicians.

“That’s why we said the resolution was worthless, because it turned out lobbyists wrote the text. They did not even bother to write it themselves,” Zarkua said.