The European Union (EU) will allocate EUR 3.9 billion to help Georgia improve transport and logistics connectivity, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has announced after the meeting with European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi.
The EUR 3.9-billion aid package consists of a EUR 1.17-billion grant and the rest is a loan.
Varhelyi said that after speaking with Garibashvili “we have discovered that the main obstacle, the main weakness” in the Georgian economy was the lack of the concept of connectivity.
“Be it roads and railways, be it the untapped potential that exists in the Black Sea region, be it connectivity to major electricity and internet networks, all of these aspects have great potential and can move Georgia’s economy forward and transform it into a new dimension. That is why we have developed a plan to meet this challenge”, Varhelyi said.
Varhelyi announced “an ambitious Economic and Investment Plan” for the Eastern Partnership countries in his post on Twitter on July 2.
Garibashvili thanked Varhelyi for the aid and said that “we will start working on the projects you have listed related to connectivity, transport, energy, small and medium-sized businesses and agricultural development”. (Agenda/Business World Magazine)