6. February 14, 2006 Wine Promotion Campaign Launched
In his annual speech to parliament, Saakashvili urged farmers and wine producers to create higher quality wines that can be sold to Eastern Europe and other markets outside of the former Soviet Union. He pledged to continue the fight against counterfeit Georgian wine and to provide support for grape farmers.
The Russian embargo against Georgian food and water products, introduced in 2005-2006, hit the country's agricultural sector hard. The sector has long suffered from underfinancing, lack of modern technology and a general lack of support from the government. Some industries, like hazelnut producers and herb farms, have been able to find niche markets overseas. The wine producers have had mixed luck finding markets outside of Russia; vineyard owners staged protests in autumn 2007 claiming the government is not doing enough to support a traditional Georgian industry. The government pledged 500 tractors to help farmers in Kakheti and other wine growing regions; some villages reported tractors had arrived while other villages complained that they were overlooked or the local government charged farmers to use the tractors.
7. January 18, 2006 Handouts for Health
Saakashvili promised a complete overhaul for the country's hospitals and healthcare facilities; the president vowed healthcare in Georgia would meet European standards by 2008. Georgian hospitals and clinics are chronically understaffed and underfunded. A series of high profile accidental deaths in hospitals in 2006-2007 highlighted the problem with the country's medical field.
A program to privatize hospitals and reduce the number of hospital beds in the country is underway. Unfortunately, there is a general lack of public information about which hospitals will be privatized and where the new facilities will be located. In addition, the Ministry of Health worked extensively with international NGOs and experts to create a universal insurance plan for all Georgians. However, there is no clear indication about where the program stands now or who it will help.
8. January 13, 2006 Love Georgia? Build a Hotel
At the opening of a new ski lift at winter sports resort Bakuriani, President Saakashvili called on businesses to help rejuvenate the country's tourism sector by building hotels and backing other infrastructure projects. The government began pushing the development of Bakuriani, Gudauri and Bakhmaro as part of the country's campaign to become the site for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Saakashvili has also promoted tourism development along the country's Black Sea coastline and in Kakheti, an eastern region known for its wineries and vineyards.
Tourism has been given special attention as a government priority. While President Saakashvili has always promoted the sector for creating jobs, a reshuffle at the department of tourism brought new focus to the industry. New roads have been built to some mountainous tourist destinations and NGOs have financed country-wide projects to create a general assessment of the status of the tourism infrastructure on the ground. The department of tourism has been working with a British marketing firm to create Georgia's "image" and Georgian commercials have started airing on CNN. According to the Department of Statistics, nearly a million visitors came to Georgia in 2006.
However, problems still persist. Restrooms and rest areas do not meet international standards, according to one recent survey. While roads are being built to reach popular tourist destinations, there are still few road signs to help tourists get there and a noticeable lack of hotels and cafes in some mountainous areas.
9. November 20, 2005 NATO by 2007
At a speech shortly before Georgia's second Rose Revolution anniversary, Saakashvili vowed to join NATO in two years. The president has made joining both NATO and the European Union a cornerstone of his presidency to cement the country's western orientation.
Georgia is still not a member of NATO. The country received an Individual Partnership Action Plan in 2004 and an Intensified Dialogue in 2006. Previous indications that Georgia expected to receive its Membership Action Plan in 2008 largely evaporated after the November 7, 2007 protest crackdown. The January 2007 elections are seen as a critical test for the alliance on whether to advance with Georgia towards membership.
The Georgian government has arguably placed a higher priority on the military reform part of the NATO preparation process than on other areas. In 2007 parliament increased its military spending budget to nearly one billion lari (over $600 million). While not the highest military budget in the region, it is noticeably higher than the country's spending in other areas like education and judicial reform - both of which are also required for eventual NATO membership.
10. November 15, 2005 War on Poverty
While statistics vary concerning the exact number of Georgians living below the poverty line, the accepted average is around 40 percent. During a meeting with businesspeople, Saakashvili pledged to tackle Georgia's rampant poverty in part by using funds businesses donated to the government and their taxes.
The government initiated a program for the most socially vulnerable citizens in 2006; however, it received more attention for the number of people who did not qualify than it did for those it helped. The government also opened a series of highly publicized soup kitchens.
New social welfare programs were introduced in late 2007, after protests in Tbilisi that were widely seen as motivated by economic conditions. Teacher salaries and pensions have been increased, though the latter, at 55 lari, still do not match Georgia's minimum salary (167.5 lari as of 2006). A so-called "Cheap Credit State Bank" has been announced, and the government ordered to handle payment for gas and electricity bills in arrears.
