The government has delayed a regulation for the business entities engaged in the sale of gas-fired equipment for the second time, which obliges them to sell the equipment under the new rules.
The technical regulation “on Gas-Fired Appliances" was supposed to enter into force on July 1, but after the activity of the private sector, the government postponed its implementation until September. According to the representatives of the private sector, in order to rearrange the new regulations, their term was extended again, until December 1.
This means that manufacturing companies supplying water heaters, boilers, gas stoves and other gas-fired appliances to the Georgian market will have to prepare some technical documentation for the equipment from December 1. If the equipment undergoes this procedure, the manufacturer is required to draw up a declaration of conformity. Also, the manufacturer is obliged to design and manufacture the device in accordance with the health and safety requirements provided by the regulations. A similar obligation in the original version of the Regulation applied to both equipment and parts, but after consultation with the private sector and the relevant agency, it was decided that the obligation would no longer apply to the parts.
According to Sopho Mekanarishvili, a lawyer of the Thermo Center, another concession the government has made is the sale of equipment manufactured in accordance with the old regulations. If earlier the business has not been allowed to sell old equipment on their balance, according to the amended regulation, companies will have the right to sell the products imported before December 1. Equipment imported after December 1 should be placed on the market only in accordance with the new regulations.
It is not yet known what expenditures will be incurred due to the new regulation. According to Sopho Mekanarishvili, certain details are still being clarified and consultations are underway with both international suppliers and the Supervision Agency.
