Georgian Dream MP: We Do Not Need EU’s Nine or 12 Conditions to Fight Corruption

Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party has declared a zero-tolerance approach to corruption and does not need the European Union’s nine or 12 conditions to pursue its anti-corruption agenda, senior party lawmaker Levan Machavariani said.

Speaking on Imedi TV, Machavariani, deputy chairman of the Georgian Dream parliamentary faction, criticised elements of the EU’s reform agenda, arguing that some of its requirements undermine Georgia’s sovereignty.

“One of the nine conditions put forward by the European Union is that NGOs should be able to participate in decision-making across all three branches of government. This is a gross violation of sovereignty,” he said.

Machavariani also criticised the proposed judicial vetting process, describing it as interference in the country’s domestic affairs.

“I would also remind you of the vetting issue, which effectively amounts to interference with sovereignty, when judges are to be appointed by some commission established abroad,” he said.

Turning to corruption, the lawmaker argued that Georgia did not need external conditions to address the issue, while acknowledging that corruption remained a challenge.

“If we are talking about corruption, we do not need either the nine or the 12 conditions. There are problems related to corruption, but one thing must be emphasised: when Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova were assessed, six criteria were listed for evaluating all three countries. In the cases of Ukraine and Moldova, the human rights and corruption criteria were removed, which is unfair,” Machavariani said.

He stressed that the government had declared an uncompromising fight against corruption, organised crime, criminal networks and migration-related challenges.

According to Machavariani, corruption cases uncovered by the authorities have dealt serious political blows to Georgian Dream, but the government has acted responsibly by pursuing investigations despite the political consequences.

“Since Irakli Kobakhidze became prime minister, all government decrees relating to corruption have been made transparent, and a Government Efficiency Department has been established. You can see how many senior officials have been arrested,” he said.

“I want to emphasise once again that these cases represent political setbacks for us. However, we are a responsible government, and we have no other choice,” Machavariani added.