Georgian Competition
and Consumer
Agency

At the initiative of the Georgian National Competition Agency and the Committee on Sectoral Economics and Economic Policy of the Parliament, a working meeting is on the topic - amendments in competition legislation, results, and challenges. The seminar has organized by the Association Facilitation Support Project (AA Facility) between Georgia and the European Union.

The event will open by the Chairman of the National Competition Agency, Irakli Lekvinadze, Davit Songhulashvili, Chairman of the Committee on Sectoral Economics and Economic Policy of the Parliament, GNERC Chairman, David Narmania, Vice President of the National Bank - Nikoloz Gagua; Davit Onoprishvili - Head of the Insurance Supervision Service; Yolanta Taczynska - Project Manager of AA Facility, and Giorgi Pertaia - President of the Georgian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“Significant amendments on competition have been approved by the Parliament of Georgia in 2020. Today, on November 4, 2021, on the 1st anniversary of its entry into force, together with the representatives of our colleague agencies, we will review the results, the current cases and inform the stakeholders of identified issues during this period. It should be mentioned that one of the main directions of the amendments in the competition law is ensuring the management of common principles for reviewing and resolving issues with other economic regulators. At this stage, together with the GNERC, the NBG, the Communications Commission, and the Insurance Supervision Service, proceedings are underway against various companies on 3 cases. It is important for us that the competition legislation has already applied at the level of the regulator for case management, which makes our joint activities more effective in the development of the economy, "said Irakli Lekvinadze, Chairman of the Georgian National Competition Agency.
It is important to create a competitive environment in the energy sector for providing unified approaches for market participants, which will ensure the process of liberalization. GNERC aims to ensure the enforcement of competition legislation and other relevant regulations in the electricity and natural gas markets. We monitor the market on an ongoing basis, conducting relevant studies to minimize the risk of abuse of a dominant position by any participant, as well as to prevent the existence of restrictive agreements, decisions and/or agreed actions by the market participants. At the same time, the GNERC must regulate concentrations in regulated sectors, which enables the Commission to assess in advance, on a case-by-case basis, the effect of the planned concentration on the competitive market environment. Therefore, it is necessary to separate the competencies of the Competition Agency and GNERC when monitoring the energy market, and at the same time, to cooperate closely within the competence” - said Davit Narmania, Chairman of the Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission.

“The years 2021-2020 were important for the National Bank of Georgia in terms of working on competition policy. In 2021, we have drafted and published two acts. It is noteworthy that the process of drafting these rules was carried out with the expert assistance of the representatives of the World Bank and with the intensive involvement of the Competition Agency and the financial sector and in consultation with them, for this, I would like to thank the Agency and the World Bank once again. Promoting free and fair competition is becoming more and more important both in the world and in the economic markets of Georgia, which is one of the important factors for the free development of these areas and markets. We believe that the effective implementation of the developed rules will significantly increase the efficiency and transparency of competition-related activities and decisions by the National Bank, "said Nikoloz Gagua, Vice President of the National Bank.

Following the amendments to the Law of Georgia on Competition in 2020, a unified legal framework was created to separate the competence between the National Competition Agency and the regulatory bodies. Accordingly, the agencies act on the same principles on the main issues of competition law. Within the framework of the authoritiesdefined by the new legislation, together with the GNERC, the NBG and the Communications Commission, at this stage, proceedings are underway against various companies on 3 issues.

The seminar will be held on November 4 and 5 at the Ambassador Kachreti Hotel in a discussion-and-answer mode, where the following issues will be discussed: New structural arrangement of the National Competition Agency, updated legislation - agency authorities and procedural norms, enforcement of competition law In competition-legal proceedings, concentration control procedure, enforcement of anti-dumping legislation by the Competition Agency, etc.