The FINANCIAL — Many Georgians believe that a closer relationship with the EU would be a good thing for the country, as we have discussed before.
This is not only a modern sentiment either; Georgians have long chosen to identify more with Europe than their Caucasian neighbors do, but why? What about Europe is so appealing to Georgians? In what areas do they want to see more European interaction?
Georgian Opinion Research Business International and TNS opinion just finished the most recent wave of the EU Neighborhood barometer, which polls all the countries in the EU’s immediate area. GORBI was specifically responsible for asking people in Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, and the three Caucasian countries about their attitudes toward the EU, their own countries’ situations, and their general predictions for the future. For this project, the European Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument, these countries are collectively known as the ENPI East.
The area in which the ENPI East most wants EU involvement is predictably economic development, with 72% agreeing. Even more Georgians hope for economic support from the west; a whopping 92% want greater EU involvement, and only 4% are against it. The related area of “trade” is a close runner up, with 68% of the East and 87% of Georgians hoping for some EU help.
As we continue down this list, the gap between Georgians and their Eastern peers grows, starting with the European ideal of “human rights.” This may change considering the recent increase in anti-European rhetoric from the church, but as of this survey Georgians were far more likely than their ENPI East peers to say that the EU has an important role to play in promoting human rights; 87% of Georgians say so, compared to only 62% of the ENPI East.
Whether this will change before the next ENPI survey remains to be seen, but it’s important to note that this survey makes no specific mention of homosexuality; the respondents are free to determine for themselves what falls under “human rights.”
Most Georgians also want help with their still young system of governance, 85% want EU involvement in Democratic matters, while only 60% of the greater East are interested.
I see an interesting apparent contradiction in the 5th place category: regional cooperation. It’s undoubtable that European intervention was crucial to ending the 2008 war, while Russia still bullies the country at every given opportunity. Surely this would fall under regional cooperation, but it seems less important to Georgians than other European interventions. That said, a very large majority of Georgians (83%) still look to Europe for help in dealing with their neighbors.
The data in this article have margins of error around 3% with 95% confidence. Visit our website at gorbi.com for more articles.
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