Georgia’s Parliament has approved the draft resolution to establish a Temporary Parliamentary Commission for Studying the Price Formation Structure of Food Products, Medicines, and Fuel, with 88 votes in favor.
The draft was presented during the plenary session by the chairman of the “Georgian Dream” faction, Irakli Kirtzkhalia.
According to Parliament, the aim of the temporary commission is to ensure transparent and objective analysis of the mechanisms behind price formation for food products, medicines, and fuel. Within its mandate, the commission will prepare relevant conclusions and recommendations.
The temporary commission will operate for a three-month term. The exact number of members and the distribution of seats among parliamentary factions and political groups will be determined at a session of the Procedural Issues Committee.
Irakli Kirtzkhalia stated that the commission’s work will be fully public, giving society the opportunity to follow the discussions live.
“We will discuss solutions together with businesses and with their full involvement. I am confident that together we will find ways to address and solve this problem,” Kirtzkhalia said.
The commission will begin its work on February 5.
For context, the government’s interagency commission on product prices, headed by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, held its first meeting on January 20. On January 21, members of the “price commission” met with supermarket representatives regarding high prices. On January 22, the State Security Service and the Investigative Service of the Ministry of Finance visited several dozen distribution companies and food retail networks, requesting documentation. On January 23, the government’s commission held a meeting with distributors, followed by a meeting with manufacturers on January 26. On January 30, the commission met with fuel companies.
