Deputy Agriculture Minister says Georgia “leading” EU candidate countries in transition to circular economy

Solomon Pavliashvili, the Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, on Tuesday said the country had emerged as a “leader” among European Union membership candidates in transition to a circular economy.

Speaking at the presentation of a national guide for the transition, Pavliashvili said the Government had implemented “several important measures” over the past five years based on the EU recommendations.

The first step was to raise awareness about the circular economy. We met with policymakers, representatives of non-governmental organisations, and business groups at all levels. The second stage involved assessing the potential of the circular economy, which we broke down by sectors [...] The next stage is the roadmap, in which the country's circular economy strategy will be defined and give us the opportunity to create a policy document”, he said.

Mikheil Dundua, the Deputy Finance Minister, underscored the importance of maintaining “high environmental standards” alongside economic growth. He emphasised the need to focus on environmental protection, ecology, and the “correct use” of resources during the country's economic progress.

Giorgi Kvesitadze, the General Adviser of the National Academy of Sciences, noted the development and implementation of circular business models required innovation and research and reaffirmed the Academy’s commitment to studying circular economy issues and providing “valuable” recommendations.

Developed by an expert team of the Union of Nature Researchers of the country and international experts in coordination with the Ministry and with the financial support from the Swedish Government, the guide outlines a strategic plan, encompassing initiatives to reduce waste generation, increase recycling rates, restore lands affected by illegal dumping, improve energy efficiency, and create new green jobs.