Georgia’s Ministry of Economy hosts energy workshop with UN commissions

A two-day workshop focusing on energy issues was hosted by the Ministry of Economy of Georgia between Wednesday and Thursday in collaboration with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.

The Ministry said the workshop aimed to facilitate discussions and exchange of experiences on legislative harmonisation and implementation among member states of the Energy Community, an international organisation consisting of European Union member and non-member states.

The body added the workshop had centred around harmonisation of domestic energy legislation with that of the EU, as outlined in the Association Agreement with the bloc, signed in 2014, and the Protocol of the Accession of Georgia to the Energy Community Treaty.

The goal is to create a new market framework to ensure energy supply security, enhance competitiveness and align with sustainable development objectives, it added.

The Ministry said while it had made strides in modernising the country’s energy regulatory framework to meet EU standards, implementing European legislation remained a “key challenge”.

Consequently, it added, the UN Economic Commission for Europe had extended technical support to the country, focusing on research, sharing of best practices and experiences related to legislative convergence and implementation challenges faced by the Energy Community member states.

Key stakeholders in the energy sector, relevant Government entities and companies, as well as local and international non-governmental organisations participated in the workshop.

The event discussed institutional, legislative and practical challenges, sharing of national practices and concerns related to the implementation of directives and the enhancement of enforcement capabilities during the harmonisation process.