Daily News

IN THIS ISSUE:

President of National Bank of Georgia (NBG) Koba Gvenetadze assured that in the medium-term period, inflation rate will be around the target indicator.

Gvenetadze declared this, while presenting main directions of money-and-credit and currency policy for 2018-2020 in the Parliament today.

At plenary session of extraordinary session, the Parliament voted confidence to the updated structure of the government and the governmental program “Freedom, Fast Development, Wellbeing 2018-2020”. Pro voted 103 MPs, contra – 17.

Since January 1, 2018, the new model of assessment of activity of government employees, which was developed this year, will be enacted in 4 ministries and administration of the President of Georgia, representation of the UN Development Program (UNDP) reported.

Among the mentioned pilot ministries are the Justice Ministry, Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture, Ministry of Culture and Sport and Ministry of Labor, Healthcare and Social Protection.

TI Georgia, Georgian branch of Transparency International, declared that standards of ethics of behavior must be established for politicians and MPs.

The organization points that “At the meeting in the Parliament with candidates for the government membership on December 20, the public became the witness of confrontation, during which politicians had made emotional and unethical statements”.

Gocha Shonia and David Narmania became members of National Energy and Water Supply Regulating Commission. Their candidacies, nominated on two vacant posts in the Commission, were approved at the Parliament’s session today with 83 votes pro.

In support of Georgia’s program of expansion of electricity transmission network, the EU has allocated grant of 9.9 million EUR by means of its Neighborhood Investment Facility (EU NIF), Georgian Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development reported.

The Ministry specified that the grant will be used for implementation of projects on connection to a network of Tskaltubo-Akhaltsikhe-Tortumi, strengthening of electricity transmission infrastructure in Guria region, construction of a northern link and strengthening of electricity transmission infrastructure in Kakheti region.

Referring to conducted research, Sakstat declared that according to officially declared data of 2016, natural gas accounted for 37.1% of total energy consumption of Georgia.

Shares of oil-products and electricity make up 29.9% and 19.2%), respectively.

Oil-Products Importers Union reported that at the beginning of the year, average price of most demanded Regular petrol in retail networks of Georgia made up 1.85-2.09 lari per 1 l.

As of today, average retail price of the same petrol makes up 2.23-2.24 lari, the Union said.

Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili reported that introduction of renewed system of authorization and accreditation of higher education institutions will begin in 2018.

This system “will eradicate opportunity for higher education institution of poor quality that it, so to speak, to deceive young people and they will waste for nothing 4 years in this higher education institution”, the Premier declared in the Parliament.

Georgian Human Rights Center reported that Bulgarian embassy and Bulgarian Development Fund have financed 3 projects of the Center. The Center said that all 3 projects will be implemented in 2018.

Former sanatorium Poladi (Steel), located in resort settlement Surami (Shida Kartli region), is brought on electronic auction within the “50 Objects for Your Hotel” project, Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development reported. Initial price makes up 890,000 lari.