Georgian Competition and Consumer Agency (GCCA), as part of a mission funded by the European Union through TAIEX (Technical Assistance and Information Exchange Instrument of the European Commission), received a positive assessment and recommendations.
The goal of the working meetings between GCCA and TAIEX was to enhance Georgian competition law and assess its compatibility with the relevant legislation of the European Union.
Notably, TAIEX experts gave the GCCA positive evaluation for institutional independence and strength as a body that enforces competition laws. One of them is the qualification of human resources to enforce and promote competition policy. The experts also paid particular attention to the monitoring and reaction mechanisms of concentrations implemented via bypassing the GCCA.
Several recommendations have been made by TAIEX experts to enhance enforcement of competition policy and align it with EU legal acts for the GCCA. These recommendations include improving control mechanisms for state aid, updating guidelines for imposing fines on undertakings, and increasing awareness through the lenience program by developing guidelines.
In 2020, significant changes were made to Georgian competition legislation to align it with EU standards. According to the assessment conducted by experts from the EU-funded TWINNING project, Georgian competition law presently aligns with EU law in terms of competition at a rate of 75%, compared to 60% in 2022.
