LAUNCH OF THE EU TWINNING PROJECT STRENGTHENING CAPACITY OF THE COMPETITION AGENCY OF GEORGIA

29 September 2022, Tbilisi. The launch event of the new EU-funded Twinning project “Strengthening Capacity of the Competition Agency of Georgia“ was held at Tbilisi Marriott hotel. The project aims to assist Georgia to align the normative and legal framework of the Competition Agency of Georgia with the Union acquis and other good international practices in the area of Competition Law and Law on Consumer Protection and to achieve higher standards in these directions.

The experts from the international Twinning project consortium of the Competition Council of the Republic of Lithuania, State Consumer Rights Protection Authority of Lithuania in partnership with the Federal Competition Authority of Austria, together with Georgian colleagues from the Georgian National Competition Agency, will work on improving and achieving higher standards in the enforcement of competition law and consumer protection policy of Georgia based on EU best practice.

“The EU is pleased to provide further support to the Georgian National Competition Agency. This project comes at a timely moment, given Georgia’s recent application for EU membership and in the framework of Georgia’s ongoing efforts towards greater alignment with the EU acquis. The project will enhance the capacities of the GNCA in their work not only in the area of competition but also with regard to consumer protection in Georgia. A robust, well-functioning supervisory framework is essential to ensuring confidence for consumers, businesses, investors and the Georgian economy. EU Twinning is a very practical instrument for sharing good practices developed within the EU with and to foster long-term relationships between administrations of existing and future EU countries,” stated Catalin Gherman, Deputy Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Georgia.

 "A 2-year EU-funded Twinning project was launched at the National Competition Agency of Georgia, which will contribute to the effective implementation of the competition and consumer protection policy in Georgia. The law entered into force on June 1, 2022, and our Agency will start its enforcement from November 1, 2022. With the support of the project and through studying and sharing the EU best practice, our goal is to implement and enhance the high-quality protection of consumers’ rights and develop principles of good faith in Georgia", declared the Chairman of the National Competition Agency of Georgia, Irakli Lekvinadze.

“We are honoured to win this Twinning project and represent Lithuania, which, according to the European Commission, has been in the top five of the most successful EU countries in the EU Twinning Program in recent years. Our highly qualified and competent experts will work hard to assist the Georgian Competition Agency to bring the local legal framework in the field of competition and consumer protection closer to EU regulations and strengthen the Agency’s institutional development”, commented Šarūnas Keserauskas, Chairman of the Competition Council of the Republic of Lithuania, Project Leader.

Among the guests invited were representatives of the European Union, the Government of Georgia, Embassies, the business sector and stakeholders.

The EU-funded project “Strengthening Capacity of the Competition Agency of Georgia”, with a budget of € 1 200 000 shall run for 2 years. It aims to support Georgia in the effective enforcement of competition and consumer protection law and policy in Georgia, in line with EU best practice, by strengthening the institutional and human resources capacities of the Agency.

For more information, please contact:

Ms. Justina Paulauskaite, Resident Twinning Advisor, EU-funded Twinning Project “Strengthening Capacity of the Competition Agency of Georgia”, Justina.Paulauskaite@twinning.info 

Ms.Irina Jobava, RTA assistant, project’s communication contact person, irina.jobava@twinning.info