Georgia and EU integration: challenges (საქართველოს ევროკავშირში ინტეგრაციის გამოწვევები)
Loading...
Date
2022
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University Press
Abstract
Euro-Atlantic integration is the strategic goal set by the Constitution of Georgia (Article 78). Based on the
Government program of Georgia for 2021-2024, the country will start the related procedures in 2024 by applying for
the EU membership. However, Georgia has not yet developed the strategy, the so called “white book” with the action
plan and Gantt chart as well as conducive and unfavorable factors. Knowing these factors is very important. The
reasons preventing Georgia from becoming a competitive, effective market economy system meeting the EU criteria
have been identified and described. However, we would like to point out the following two key reasons: (1) a 30-year
state of war of Georgia with Russia (occupied territories and internally displaced people) along with interminable
process of “desovetization” and (2) transformation-related problems due to which a 30-year economic and social crisis
could not have been solved. In the year previous to COVID-19 pandemic, Georgia’s GDP amounted to 82.5% of that of
1988. However, all problems stem from the Soviet historic heritage. The strategic goal is to join the European Union
that means achieving a certain level of social and economic development and not just striving and moving towards the
EU. Movement is not everything in this case. Development of a competitive economic system that would provide the
population of Georgia with the European level and quality of life in an expeditious manner is the main goal despite the
fact whether Georgia joins the EU or not. The first milestone on the way to the EU is the end of “desovetization” and
transformation from a “wild” to a “democratic” capitalism. The author offers the explanation of how the Soviet and
market systems manage to coexist taking into consideration that transitional economy is the state of economy where
the Soviet and market economic systems coexist in a single time and space dimension since they have contradictory
traits and mechanisms of functioning. Soviet economic system was artificially developed as an antipode of a capitalistic
one and its substitute, and that’s why it depended on subjective governing factors. Their diffusion, intertwinement of
their elements is not possible. What is the deal for them to make the economy function at some level? How could it
happen that the system developed artificially still exists? Presence of elements of the Soviet economy is based on the
bureaucratic system imposing the monopoly on national resources nationalized during the Soviet period and on their
disposal, still existing as result of slow process of desovetization being in the interests of the actors of “wild
capitalism”. As a result, bureaucrats and new capitalists got united having a common interest of hampering the process of transformation. Conservation of the elements of Soviet governing system caused the erosion of bureaucracy,
“resovetization” in the form of a single-party-governance, and diminished competitiveness in political life. The cause of
the failure is unreasonable and inflated procrastination of the process of desovetization and absence of reforms and
the unified strategy for the development of the country. The author believes that the way out is speeding up the
process of desovetization, reinstatement of an indicative/strategic planning system and improvement of the governing
system by the development of qualitative human resources and political elite. The precondition for the development of
political elite is the creation of legal and institutional basis for state political appointees through the introduction of
scientific qualifications
Description
1. საქართველოს კონსტიტუცია (1995) https://matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/ view/30346? Publication = 36
2. სამთავრობო პროგრამა 2021 − 2024 „ევროპული სახელმწიფოს მშენებლობისთვის“, 20 თებერვალი, 2021 წელი,
https://www.gov.ge/files/68_78941_292978_govprogramme.pdf
3. В.В.Путин (2005) Послание Федеральному Собранию Российской Федерации. 25 აპრილი.
4. http://www.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/22931 (ბოლო ნახვა 31.01.2022)
5. Проэкт (2021) Договор между Российской Федерацией и Соединенными Штатами Америки о гарантиях
безопасности. 15 დეკემბერი. https://mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/rso/nato/1790818/(ბოლო ნახვა 31.01.2022)
6. Проэкт (2021) Соглашение о мерах обеспечения безопасности Российской Федерацией и Государств – Членов
Североатлантического Договораю15 декабря. 15 დეკემბერი. https://mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/rso/nato/1790803/ (ბოლო
ნახვა 31.01.2022)
7. ჯიბუტი მ.(2021) საქართველოს ეკონომიკა: 30 წლიანი ტრანსფორმაციის გაგებისათვის ||„ეკონომიკა და ბიზნესი“,
№4.
8. ჯიბუტი მ.(1996) საქართველოს რესპუბლიკის სოციალურ - ეკონომიკური განვითარების პირველი ინდიკატიური
გეგმის მეთოდოლოგიური საფუძვლები|| „ეკონომიკა“, №6.
Keywords
effective market economy, 30-year crisis, 30-year-state of war, desovetization, indicative planning, scientific qualification for political appointees
Citation
International Scientific Conference Dedicated to the Establishment of the University and the 100th Anniversary of the Faculty of Economics and Business “Covid 19 Pandemic and Economics”, Tbilisi, 2022, pp. 477-482