Ruling party Sec Gen on Eurobarometer: Saakashvili as ‘European standard’, radicalism led to EU trust drop

Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday addressed the recent Eurobarometer survey results indicating a 9% decrease in trust towards the European Union in Georgia compared to last autumn.

Kaladze attributed this decline to what he described as attempts to impose “radicalism as a civic standard” and the promotion of the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili as a “European measure”.

“I will put it in just a few words, and I believe the public will understand and make the correct assessment”, he said.

“"When Saakashvili was presented to us as a European measure, radicalism as a civic standard, and they tried to drag us into war, threatening the destruction of our economy, it is clear that this would elicit a reaction, and the people see all of this. I am not at all surprised by the results you are talking about now”, Kaladze concluded.

According to the latest Eurobarometer data, public trust in the EU in Georgia has dropped by 9% since fall 2024. Meanwhile, 51% of respondents expressed trust in the national government.