
Brussels, 12–13 March 2025 – The fifth formal meeting of the European Social Policy Analysis Network (ESPAN) brought together national independent experts and senior officials from the European Commission to engage in a comprehensive review of ongoing EU social policy priorities. In his capacity as National Coordinator of ESPAN and Lead Economist at the ISET Policy Institute, Dr. Davit Keshelava represented Georgia at the meeting.

The Media Polarization Index remained high in February, influenced by restrictive laws that suppress demonstrations, controversial regulations affecting the media, and a Foreign Agents Registration Act-like (FARA) law. In addition, significant events such as a major tragedy in Batumi, heavy snowfall in Guria, and developments in Trump's foreign policy contributed to the polarized environment.

In February 2025, the average cost of cooking one standard portion of Imeretian khachapuri stood at 7.04 GEL, marking a 0.3% increase compared to the previous month. However, on a year-on-year basis, the price of khachapuri rose by 3% compared to February 2024.

Today Georgia is facing an increasing risk of brain drain. In recent years, Georgia has been experiencing a brain drain, with an increasing number of skilled professionals, young workers, and students leaving the country in search of better economic opportunities and stability. Since independence, the outmigration of Georgians has been mostly driven by economic factors – jobs, higher wages, better working conditions, and career advancement opportunities abroad.

According to GeoStat’s preliminary estimates in the fourth quarter of 2024, Georgia’s nominal GDP reached GEL 25,309.6 million, with a year-over-year real GDP growth of 8.3% and a GDP deflator change of 4.0%. The economic expansion was largely driven by strong growth in several key sectors. The most notable increases were observed in Education (+36.2%), Information and communication (+29.7%), Human health and social work activities (23.6%), Mining and quarrying (22.5%).