As advised by the European partners, in order to restore Georgia's trajectory towards EU membership, it is essential for the country to repeal the recently enacted laws concerning "Transparency of Foreign Influence" and "Protection of Family Values and Minors," as well as to adequately implement the nine requirements set forth by the European Commission for granting of EU candidate status to Georgia.

The U.S. presidential election is one of the most consequential global political events, influencing not only internal American policies but also its relationships with countries worldwide. It has far-reaching implications beyond the American citizenry that affect international partners, including Georgia. As a small, strategically located country in the South Caucasus, Georgia’s economy is deeply intertwined with the geopolitical environment and under the support of key allies like the United States.

The US Department of Treasury through its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), has imposed sanctions on two Georgian government officials and two private citizens for their roles in suppressing fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. According to the U.S. Treasury, these individuals were involved in violent crackdowns on protestors related to Georgia’s controversial "foreign influence law," passed in May 2024.

While there is a consensus on high polarization in Georgia as confirmed by the public perception of increasing polarization on one hand and the call of the country's development partners towards depolarization, there has not been any tool available to measure and monitor the polarization dynamics. On this basis, the ISET Policy Institute developed a media polarization index to explore and measure the dynamics of media polarization in Georgia.

Women are generally under-represented in political offices worldwide, and their under-representation becomes larger in more senior positions. In the first brief, the author reviews some recent academic literature in economics and political science on the likely causes of women’s under-representation. Broadly speaking, the literature has divided such causes into “supply-side” and “demand-side” factors.

Economic reforms announced in the run-up to the parliamentary elections in October 2016 raised concerns about whether Georgia was departing from its path of prudent fiscal policy. A reform of the corporate profit tax and increased infrastructure investment were driving expectations of a 6% of GDP budget deficit in 2017, endangering Georgia’s macroeconomic stability and its reputation with investors.