Georgian Parliament official: Georgia’s judiciary has undergone radical transformation since 2013

David Matikashvili, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party and Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s Committee on Procedural Issues and Rules, on Wednesday praised the transformation of Georgia’s judicial system since 2013, responding to the European Commission’s global assessment of judicial independence in the 2025 Freedom House report.

In his remarks, Matikashvili highlighted that Georgia’s judicial system had outperformed those of countries that adopted the so-called vetting process, such as Moldova.

“In this context, when Georgia rightfully did not comply with this demand, an authoritative international organisation gives a high assessment of Georgia’s judicial system, while the judicial systems of countries where the so-called vetting was implemented receive much lower evaluations”, Matikashvili said.

The official underscored that the improvement in judicial independence was not merely incremental but transformative.

“In general, not only has the independence of the judiciary in Georgia improved, it has been radically transformed since 2013, and the Freedom House report is not the only one to confirm this”, he concluded.

The European Commission, within the framework of Freedom House’s 2025 annual report, has released a global evaluation of judicial independence. The index covers more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, analyzing developments from 2013 to 2025. Using a four-point rating system, the study sought to answer a key question: “Is the judiciary independent?”

According to the report, only five countries in Europe have managed to improve their ratings on judicial independence since 2013: Georgia, Italy, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Albania.