The News in Brief

German Ambassador to Georgia: "You Can't Join the EU Like This"

German Ambassador Peter Fischer said Georgia cannot join the European Union while its government pursues its current course, responding directly to Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze's "letter of condolence" to the German people over Saarbrücken's move to suspend twin city ties with Tbilisi.

"You can't enter the European Union like this, you really can't. You can take this advice from me as an ambassador of an EU member state," Fischer told TV Pirveli. "I don't see any steps forward; I see steps in the opposite direction, away from the EU."

Fischer said Kaladze's letter, which described Germany as run by a "deep state" and informal oligarchs, was itself evidence of the problem. "The fact that such narratives come from such circles in Georgia is another sign that the government is taking Georgia away from the European Union," he said, drawing a direct parallel with Irakli Kobakhidze's open letter to EU leaders, which he summarized as: "we Georgians are real Europeans, and you are all bad and are going backwards."

On Saarbrücken specifically, Fischer noted that the decision had not yet been formally made, only announced, and that it was a matter for the city's democratically elected mayor. He said the move reflected broader concern in the German government about democratic backsliding and Georgia's drift away from the EU. "Georgia has cut itself off from Ukraine and Moldova on the common path to the EU. We would like these three states to move forward together as quickly as possible, but this is not happening," he said.



Georgia Fourth-Highest Prison Population Rate in Europe as Convictions Hit Two-Decade High

Georgia had the fourth-highest prison population rate in Europe at 232 inmates per 100,000 inhabitants, according to Council of Europe penal statistics covering data up to January 31, 2025. Only Turkey (458), Azerbaijan (271), and Moldova (245) recorded higher rates. Georgia also recorded an 11% year-on-year decline, the largest drop among six European countries flagged for significant decreases.

National Statistics Office data show 22,767 people were convicted in Georgia in 2025, the highest figure since at least 2001 and nearly 6,000 more than in 2024. Of those, 50.1% received conditional sentences, 24.4% imprisonment, and 20.2% fines. Georgia had 11,153 prisoners in 2025, the highest since Georgian Dream came to power in 2012.

The Special Penitentiary Service clarified that the 22,767 figure includes both custodial and non-custodial sentences, and that 8,702 convicted persons were actually serving sentences in penitentiary institutions as of December 31, 2025. The gap between that figure and Geostat's 11,153 likely reflects the inclusion of individuals in pre-trial detention.