Ruling party head: Georgia “leading” Europe in reforms, freedom in Atlantic Council index

Mamuka Mdinaradze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party in the Parliament, on Monday highlighted the country’s progress in reforms and freedom in an index by the Atlantic Council, an American international affairs think-tank, which recognised Georgia as one of the top 50 states in the measure.

Mdinaradze said the index placed Georgia “at the forefront” of European countries in data including long-term improvement in freedom assessment.

• Atlantic Council ranks Georgia among top 50 states for freedom and prosperity

When talking about criticism, including from our European friends, everyone should keep in mind that the Atlantic Council is publishing this data based on specific criteria - including fair elections, civil liberties, political rights, legal transparency, judicial independence and efficiency, a healthy bureaucracy, freedom from corruption, public safety and property rights”, the official said.

Based on these data, the Council’s research concludes that Georgia ranks first in Europe for long-term improvement in the assessment of freedom. This means that we have made progress from 2012 up to the present day. We are ahead of all other European countries, including candidate countries”, he said.

Therefore, when we discuss reforms, we are talking about improving what already exists. We are already leading with all this data, and we are committed to further improvement. Any conditions such as the ‘12-point plan’ or the ‘nine steps’ are aimed at enhancing the existing system”, Mdinaradze added in reference to the stated plan for implementing the EU recommendations.

The lawmaker also addressed criticism from the domestic opposition that alleged the topic of European integration was being “exploited for electoral purposes” ahead of the parliamentary elections in October. Mdinaradze urged the public to “prioritise independent decision-making free from influence by external factors” and emphasised the importance of “safeguarding Georgia’s sovereignty”.