The 5th International Conference on Competition and Consumer Protection will be held in Tbilisi on November 19–20, 2026.
According to the Georgian Competition and Consumer Agency (GCCA), the conference will host more than 40 international delegates from over 20 countries and bring together representatives of peer agencies, international organizations, regulatory bodies, public institutions, academia and the business sector.
“The annual event aims to strengthen competition policy in Georgia, share international experience regarding achievements and challenges in the field, and improve consumer protection mechanisms.
“The conference will be opened by representatives of the Government of Georgia, the Parliament of Georgia and international organizations, who will deliver welcoming remarks. The opening session will feature Irakli Lekvinadze, Chairman of the Georgian Competition and Consumer Agency; Davit Narmania, Chairman of the Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission; Ekaterine Galdava, Vice President of the National Bank of Georgia; Davit Onophrishvili, Head of the Insurance State Supervision Service; and Goga Gulordava, Chairman of the Georgian National Communications Commission.
“Panel discussions featuring local and international experts will be held as part of the conference. Participants will discuss global trends in consumer protection and modern regulatory approaches; competition and affordability in pharmaceutical and food markets; merger control; consumer rights protection in online markets; the interaction between competition law and sectoral regulation; and issues related to competition, trade and industrial policy.
“The discussions will involve representatives of competition and consumer protection authorities from Georgia and various countries, including senior officials from Lithuania, Türkiye, Romania and Saudi Arabia, as well as international experts.
“On November 20, keynote speeches will be delivered by the event’s guest of honour, Teresa Moreira, former Head of the Competition and Consumer Policies Branch at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and Ioannis Lianos, Professor of Global Competition Law and Public Policy at University College London.
“On November 20, as part of the panel discussion entitled ‘The Interconnection Between Competition and Consumer Protection: Price Transparency and Informed Choice in Food and Financial Markets,’ the eKalata.gov.ge platform and the bank tariff comparison portal will be presented by GCCA Chairman Irakli Lekvinadze and Natia Chkhoidze, Head of the Payment Systems Department of the National Bank of Georgia. The panel will also include Shota Bereკაშვილი, Chairman of the Economic Policy Committee of the Parliament of Georgia. The discussion will be moderated by Giorgi Abashishvili, Founder of Business Insider Georgia and Economic Forum Georgia.
“It is noteworthy that this year’s conference is dedicated to the 30th anniversary of competition and consumer protection policy in Georgia. The law adopted in 1996 laid the foundation for the development of legal protection mechanisms in this field and the establishment of the first antimonopoly service. Over the years, the conference has evolved into an important platform for sharing international experience, professional dialogue and discussing current challenges in the sector.
“For the fifth consecutive year, the event is being jointly organized by the Georgian Competition and Consumer Agency (GCCA), the National Bank of Georgia, the Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission (GNERC), the Insurance State Supervision Service and the Georgian National Communications Commission.
“It should be recalled that the 4th International Conference, held in 2025, hosted more than 350 delegates, over 50 local and international speakers, and more than 40 representatives of relevant authorities from 18 countries,” the statement said.
