Georgian Parliament Speaker: Georgia’s economic growth demonstrates value of independent policymaking

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said on Sunday that Georgia’s economic growth rate was not only higher than that of every European Union member state and candidate country, but exceeded their respective rates several times over.

In a social media post, Papuashvili noted that the key value of independence lay in the ability to pursue policies based on national interests and deliver tangible benefits to the Georgian people.

“This data alone is enough to demonstrate how serious the consequences could be of subordinating our own economic policy to Brussels’ directives. This is already evident to many across the EU today, with high energy prices, businesses relocating abroad, rising unemployment in most countries and many other problems”, he said.

Papuashvili cited Moldova as an example, noting that after recording economic growth of 13.9% in 2021, the country’s economy contracted by 4.6% in 2022, following its alignment with Brussels’ economic demands. By contrast, Georgia’s economy grew by 11% that year.

He added that Moldova’s economic growth had remained below 1% since 2023.

The Speaker further claimed that despite billions of euros in promised EU assistance, Moldova’s economy was expected to grow by just 1.5% this year, five times less than Georgia’s projected growth of 7.2%.

Papuashvili stressed that if Georgia’s economy had grown by 1.5% rather than 7.2% in 2026, state budget revenues in 2027 would have been at least ₾1 billion lower.

He noted that the Government planned to increase funding for pensions, healthcare and education by an equivalent amount next year.

“Without an independent and sound economic policy, mobilising additional financial resources would have been considerably more difficult. It is also clear that Brussels would not have compensated for this shortfall - it would neither have financed pension increases nor covered healthcare and education costs”, the Speaker said.

Papuashvili also compared natural gas prices in Moldova and Georgia, referring to recent remarks by Moldovan President Maia Sandu that the country had completely stopped importing Russian gas and was now purchasing it from the EU.

He said that while a cubic metre of gas cost Moldovan consumers ₾0.65 in 2021, before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the price had risen to ₾3.75 this year. In Georgia, he added, the price had remained unchanged at ₾0.56 per cubic metre since 2021.

“The main value of independence is that we can pursue policies without external interference, based on national interests and bringing tangible benefits to our people. This is the advantage of independence, and we must never give it up”, Papuashvili concluded.