Reforms in the forestry sector, air and water resources, waste management and trade relations were the topics covered at a meeting between Otar Shamugia, the Georgian Agriculture Minister and Carl Hartzell, the European Union Ambassador to Georgia, on Wednesday.
During the meeting, the two officials also went over issues of rural and agricultural development, food safety and land management, along with a discussion of a new Forest Code of the country, stipulated by the Association Agreement (AA) signed in 2014 between Georgia and the EU.
The Georgian Minister emphasised the importance of the EU’s support in the implementation of various programmes and projects in the areas of agriculture and environment, and noted “real, tangible results and successes” were achieved in these directions.
Ambassador Hartzell also pointed out “gradual progress” in fields of both rural and agricultural development with the EU’s financial and technical support, hailing Georgia’s ambition to make the most of the opportunities offered to the country by the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA), a preferential trade regime introduced within the AA, the Ministry announced.
Shamugia also pledged to “fully fulfil” obligations under the Georgia-EU AA, highlighting Georgia’s application for EU membership earlier this month and adding it “brings us one step closer to EU integration.”