The Georgian government plans to expand its control over the electrical equipment market. The list of building materials to be assessed by the market surveillance agency is growing.
Monitoring will be applied to more than 100 construction products, both imported and locally made, including blocks, bricks, thermal insulation, and roofing materials.
Giorgi Darchiashvili from Market Supervision Agency, Head of the Industrial and Construction Products Supervision Department, says that currently, the agency supervises the steel frameworks, electric cables, cement, plastic pipes, and plasterboard.
The quality and safety of building items will be monitored on a broad scale beginning in January 2025. According to present regulations, the agency oversees up to 25 building materials. They claim that the majority of breaches are in the documentary section.
“There have been cases when a product technically failed to meet with standards,” said Darchiashvili.
After construction materials, the control over household electronic devices will also be tightened. To date, the government does not control the safety of electrical devices. Despite numerous reliable brand products, many others may still be dangerous.
Experts report instances of malfunctioning domestic appliances causing fires and electrical circuit damage. To avert such a risk, a regulatory agency under the Ministry of Economy will begin overseeing this market next year.
The head of the Strategic Research and Development Center, Vakhtang Kobaladze, announced informative meetings with associations and economic operators this year.
“The representatives of the market supervision agency will also visit them on the ground and carry out recommendatory checks so that the economic operators are prepared and ready to meet the new legal regulations,” he said.
Part of the private sector says that the regulation causes impediments for business, which eventually influences product prices. Some consumer rights organisations argue that the most important factor is safety, which the regulations should ensure.
Failure to fulfil the criteria may result in the product being suspended from sale or destroyed.
