There are many answers to this question, and not all of them are political. Besides being a member of an organization focused on peace and development, EU membership offers many other benefits. Among them, there are those that have a positive effect on you personally, on your surroundings and on those people who are “not interested in politics”. Today we will talk about 5 of them.

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A Better Education System

To make it easier to understand why and how the benefits of European integration apply to all of us, we will consider the examples that are an integral part of our daily life. One of them is the education system, because we all have to think about the necessity of our professional and higher education or the pre-school and school education of our children. What does Europe offer us in this regard?

European preschool education programs aim to promote children’s early cognitive, physical, social and emotional development. The European Commission unequivocally explains that high-quality early childhood education lays the foundation for future success in terms of education, well-being, employment and social integration. Therefore, every child in the EU has the right to have access to high-quality preschool education. At the same time, the European Commission promotes cooperation between member states and the exchange of data and analysis on the issues of early childhood education, which has been determined as a priority area of cooperation in 2021-2030.

The aim of the European general education system is to equip students not only with oral knowledge, but also with fundamental skills. Also, to create a solid foundation for learning and understanding key areas, personal and social development and prepare students with practical skills for the labor market.

We are sure that you have met an applicant or a student who dreams of transferring his documents to another university and continuing his studies in Europe or America after being admitted to a university in Georgia. Even if you are not familiar with the European education system, you know that it offers you a degree, as well as versatile knowledge, experience and employment prospects.

European and non-European countries often announce scholarship programs that thousands of young Georgians benefit from. You can get additional information on this issue on the website of the Ministry of Education . The European Union itself has been trying to strengthen the education sector in Georgia for many years. For example:

In 2019, with the help of the EU representation, the Government of Georgia launched a program worth 150 million GEL, which was focused on the growth of professional education and the development of the labor market.
In 2020, the European Union launched 9 projects with a budget of 7 million euros to support the development of vocational education and the labor market in Georgia.
In 2023, the European Commission financed 9 initiatives in Georgia within the Erasmus+ program of institutional development in the field of higher education.
In 2024, the first EU regional program to support education reforms in Eastern Partnership countries was launched. It is a three-year program worth 2.5 million euros and aims to strengthen the efficiency and quality of education systems in five countries of the region, including Georgia.

Better Working Conditions

Second and not least, what we all need is decent working conditions and pay. Researches of recent years (NDI, IRI) show that the majority of the population of Georgia considers unemployment to be one of the main problems. At the same time, the number of people emigrating from the country has significantly increased in recent years, the reason for which is the low wages and lack of jobs in Georgia. People go to the West hoping for better pay and conditions.

The economy in the EU member states is strong and the pay is much better, but working there is not just about the pay – your rights are protected by strong labor laws. In particular, the European Union provides directives and minimum standards to member states, which must be met, because the official objective of the European Union is to promote social progress and improve the living and working conditions of European peoples. Of course, member states have the right to improve these standards and they do so.

We will not turn a blind eye to the fact that workers’ rights are being violated everywhere, including in European countries. However, once again, strong laws back the employee there. An insurance mechanism exists even if a specific country does not comply with these directives and violates the rights of employees — if the European Commission considers that a member state has not incorporated the directive into national legislation, it may decide to initiate infringement proceedings. In this way, it ensures that all the rights specified in the directives are available in national legislation, guaranteeing additional protection for employees in EU member states.

EU legislation provides a clear framework for defining rights and responsibilities in the workplace, protecting the rights and health of employees and employers, and promoting sustainable economic growth.

Another important detail should be remembered here — better, more affordable prices. Perhaps you have often seen videos of Georgians in Europe from various supermarkets talking about low prices in the local market. Yes, this is reality. Although the average salary in European countries is much higher, there are cases when the price of products is lower than in Georgia.

A Better Healthcare System

Another challenge that we face in Georgia and that affects all of us, in many cases, is low-quality medical services. I think we don’t need to argue that the existence of high-tech clinics, accurate examinations and diagnosis is a necessity.

What is for us in this regard in Europe? Most European countries have some type of universal healthcare system to ensure that everyone has equal access to quality healthcare. Every country has its own way of organizing insurance companies, doctors, and hospital systems, all of which work toward one basic goal: that all people have access to basic health care services.

EU policy focuses not only on health protection and improvement, but also on ensuring equal access to effective health care, as well as disease prevention, which plays a major role in EU public health issues.

At the same time, in the face of strict internal regulations of the member states, the European Union supports the national governments. For example: the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control assesses and monitors the response to emerging disease threats in order to coordinate, and the European Medicines Agency monitors the quality, safety and effectiveness of all medicines in the EU. Therefore, all countries are constantly developing their healthcare system.

Better Protected Rights

Freedom of expression, the rights of non-dominant groups, the rights of employees and many others are protected at a high level in EU member states. This does not mean that human rights are not violated there at all – the main thing is that EU countries have an obligation to protect everyone’s rights and, if these rights are violated, to have an appropriate and effective response.

Do you also know that when it becomes difficult to find law in Georgia, everyone turns to European institutions? including those who questioned the credibility of these institutions. The reason for this is the reliability and high qualification of European institutions.

Respect for human rights is one of the founding values of the European Union, which guides its internal and external actions.

“Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right includes the freedom to hold opinions, receive and impart information and ideas without government interference. It also means freedom of the media and respect for pluralism” [Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights].

The charter also provides:

Right to liberty and security;
Respect for private and family life;
Protection of personal data;
Freedom of thought, conscience and religion;
Freedom of assembly and association;
Freedom of art and science;
Property rights and many more.

Governments of EU countries are obliged to respect the Charter of Fundamental Rights when implementing EU legislation. The basic rights of citizens are protected by the constitution of their countries.

In accordance with the international obligations, the national authorities of the EU member states have the responsibility and duty to respect and ensure an effective system of human rights protection at the national level.

Trusted Partners

If you think that for you, as an ordinary citizen, it is a matter of which organization you will be a member of and nothing will change, I will tell you directly that you are wrong.

If imperialist, Soviet and Putin’s Russia wanted and want to accept a weak, faceless Georgia, Western institutions offer us the opposite and instead of damaging our independence, they strengthen it. At the same time, Georgia is a developing democracy with limited resources and occupied territories, therefore, the notorious “neutrality” and lack of reliable partners only harms Russia, not our state. A strong partner is the guarantee that we will not be alone with the enemy who is in the neighborhood and spares no effort to hurt us, weaken us and harm us.

Perhaps another question arises here – how do we know that the EU is a reliable partner? Let’s look for the answer to this in the near past. First of all, let’s remember the hundreds of projects and billions of GEL that were used for the financial and economic strengthening of our country.