Georgian Parliament official: vast majority of EU funds flowing into Georgia were intended to fuel radicalism

Davit Matikashvili, the Chair of the Committee on Procedural Issues and Rules of the Georgian Parliament, on Saturday accused the European Union of directing the majority of funds provided to Georgia toward activities that, in his view, fuelled radicalism rather than supporting the country’s institutional development.

Matikashvili made the remarks while commenting on a social media post published by the EU Delegation to Georgia about EU-funded donations and assistance.

The official said that some EU-funded projects may have had positive results and emphasised that the Georgian government recognises such initiatives positively.

“Specific funds may have been spent positively, and of course, we have an unequivocally positive position on that. However, of the funds that flowed into Georgia from EU funds, the vast majority were deliberately intended to fuel radicalism”, he said.

Matikashvili that the EU Delegation and the EU Ambassador to Georgia were aware of how most of the funding had been spent.

“In this context, it is truly surprising that the European Union and the EU Ambassador to Georgia continue to present this issue to our society in a way that suggests all of these funds were being invested in the state, ministries and the important development of the country. They themselves know very well where most of these funds went”, Matikashvili concluded.

The EU Delegation to Georgia had shared a Facebook card originally published on June 17, 2024, concerning donations provided by the European Union in Georgia.

According to the ruling Georgian Dream party, it is surprising that, despite everything being clear, the diplomatic mission is attempting to portray the situation as though all the funds were allocated to state institutions.