Eleven municipalities in Georgia receive 5 mln GEL in grants for local infrastructure, business development
The grant programme applies Kakheti, Imereti, Guria and Racha-Lechkhumi-Kvemo Svaneti regions of Georgia. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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Eleven municipalities in Georgia have been awarded 5 million GEL in grants for local infrastructure and business development as part of a programme to support the integrated development of Kakheti, Imereti, Guria and Racha-Lechkhumi-Kvemo Svaneti, announces the Delegation of the European Union to Georgia.
These grants are part of the [Georgian] government’s 220 million GEL Pilot Integrated Regional Development Grant Programme, of which 186 million GEL will come from EU funding. The aim of the programme is to promote more balanced territorial development and improve living standards and conditions of the population in the regions through inclusive, smart and sustainable socio-economic means", reads the press-release published by the EU Delegation to Georgia.
The first phase of the first grant competition began last month and the municipalities of Vani, Sachkhere, Tkibuli, Samtredia, Baghdati, Tsageri, Sagarejo, Telavi, Akhmeta, Ozurgeti and Chokhatauri received 5 million GEL in funding.
The development of the Georgian regions is a priority for the EU, and with this programme the EU hopes to ensure that this development is balanced and not just focussed on the main cities of Tbilisi and Batumi. We have worked hard with the government to put the proper structures in place and are happy to see them in action. We look forward to providing over 186 million GEL through our EU4ITD programme to make this initiative a success”, said Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation to Georgia Vincent Rey.
The development of regional policy in Georgia is one of the areas of the EU-Georgia cooperation under the Association Agreement. The Pilot Integrated Regional Development Programme 2020-2022, co-financed through the budget support scheme by the EU, was approved by the government in December 2019. The programme follows the European model of regional development and was implemented for the first time among the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries in Georgia.
"These are very difficult times not only for the EU, but for our partner countries as well. We are doing all we can to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on human lives and livelihoods. We are responding both to the immediate needs of the health systems, as well as longer term needs to the most vulnerable groups in society and small and medium-sized enterprises, which are the backbone of the economies in the six countries,” Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi said.
Farmers in 22 municipalities of Georgia will have the opportunity to obtain co-financing under a 3.2 million GEL (about $1m/€0.92m) grant programme offered by the European Union (EU), the Agriculture Ministry of Georgia and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) for the purchase and installation of modern drip irrigation systems.
The European Union and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have launched a GEL 9 million grant programme together with the Georgian Agriculture and Rural Development Agency (ARDA) to help Georgia’s rural regions respond to the economic and social challenges amid the coronavirus crisis.
The European Union (EU), Georgia’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) have issued grants for a total amount of 2.2 million GEL (about $690,651/€641,567) to support food production and security in Georgia amid the COVID-19 crisis.
The European Union (EU) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) have assisted Georgian eco-migrant Giorgi Abuladze to expand his broccoli farm.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has appointed new state representatives in Guria, Shida Kartli, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, and Mtskheta-Mtianeti regions.
Infrastructure projects are being conducted in six Georgian municipalities in the Imereti and Guria regions with a value of 2.5 million GEL, which are part of the first phase of the Georgian government’s 220 million GEL Pilot Integrated Regional Development Grant Programme (PiRDP), of which 186 million GEL comes from EU funding.
The government of Georgia is launching a new programme that will upgrade the urban infrastructure in 63 municipalities of Georgia, announces Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili. The first phase of the programme will be implemented during the next four years and 500 million GEL will be spent on it.
Cities and towns in Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine (Eastern Partnership countries) will explore new opportunities through the EU-funded Mayors for Economic Growth Facility (M4EG), launched by the European Union and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Urban renewal, tourism and business development projects will be undertaken in a total of seven Georgian municipalities in 2021-22 for which the EU will disburse about 4 million GEL (about $1,270,123/€1,109,754), the Georgian government administration reports.
Investments selected for financing for a four-year, €7.5 million programme by the European Union and the German Government to identify untapped economic and social potential in four Georgian regions will be revealed in a presentation in Tbilisi on Tuesday.