Economic Press Monitor March 26 - April 1, 2017	Days:  18 25 01 08 15

economic & politics

TABULA: “IRI: 65% CONSIDER THAT THE COUNTRY IS DEVELOPING IN WRONG DIRECTION”

March 31, 2017 - Rustavi-2 broadcasting company reported that research, conducted by International Republican Institute (IRI), show that 65% of respondents consider that Georgia is developing in wrong direction. Those, who consider that the country is developing in right direction, made up only 21%.




TABULA: “GAKHARIA: CANCELATION OF REFERENDUM ON TAX GROWTH IS NOT RIGHT”

March 31, 2017 - In 2010, the record was made to the Constitution of Georgia, envisaging necessity to hold referendum in case of introduction of new general state tax or growth of already operating taxes (except excise).

“My position is that if we already have this record in the Constitution, its withdrawal could be equivocally perceived by investors”, Economy and Sustainable Development Minister Giorgi Gakharia declares.




BANKEBI DA FINANSEBI: “ACCORDING TO STUDY, TBILISI CITY COUNCIL HAS 13 MILLIONAIRE DEPUTIES”

March 29, 2017 - Civil platform New Georgia and non-governmental organization Mediator declare that 13 out of 50 members of Tbilisi City Council are millionaires.

In terms of property value, leaders are members of Georgian Dream Tamar Taliashvili, Ilia Jishkariani, Vladimer Dzneladze, Avtandil Davitadze, Giorgi Tkemaladze and member of fraction Dedakalaki (capital city) Zaza Vekua.




REZONANSI: “DANGER OF WATER PRICE GROWTH”

March 28, 2017 - Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission (GNERC) declares that issue of water tariff growth is not in the current agenda. However, the newspaper points that this issue may appear in the agenda from December 2017.

macroeconomics & budget

KVIRIS PALITRA: “EMBEZZLED MONEY AND AESTHETIC OPERATIONS, FINANCED AT THE EXPENSE OF THE BUDGET…”

March 27, 2017 - State Audit Service released scandalous report on financial-economic activity of Dusheti municipality (Mtskheta-Mtianeti region) in 2014-2015, the newspaper points.

Audit conclusion revealed that local administration has its favorite LLCs – Promsheni and Tekserivce, the newspaper says.

energy, oil & gas

REZONANSI: “GAS CONSUMPTION GROWS FASTER THAN PLANNED”

March 29, 2017 - According to the official information, gas consumption in the country will reach 2.6 billion cubic m in 2017, while amounted to 2 billion cubic m just several years ago. According to forecast, gas demand will increase annually by 5% at least.

conflict and court

BANKEBI DA FINANSEBI: “WORKERS OF “TBILISI TOBACCO” APPLY TO NGOS AND BUSINESS OMBUDSMAN’S OFFICE”

March 30, 2017 - The newspaper publishes public statement of workers of JSC Tbilisi Tobacco, who apply to non-governmental sector and office of Business Ombudsman.

As the statement points, Tbilisi Tobacco is Georgian enterprise, which manufactures Georgian production from Georgian raw materials and employs over 700 people.




TABULA: “ASLY: THEY WANTED TO EXTORT $150M FROM ICC MEMBERS BY HAND OF THE JUDGE”

March 30, 2017 - “Three members of the International Chamber of Commerce have suffered a very serious damage from those businessmen, who wanted fraudulently receive $150 million from these companies, using for that end the same corrupted judge”, chairman of International Chamber of Commerce in Georgia (ICC Georgia) Fady Asly pointed in the statement.

ICC Georgia lodged an official complaint against the judge Vladimer Kakabadze to the Supreme Council of Justice, while the mentioned ICC member companies are Philip Morris Georgia, British American Tobacco and Terabank.




NETGAZETI.GE: “DVALI AND AKIMIDZE: THERE IS ATTEMPT TO LAUNDER THE CRIME BY MEANS OF “R2” STAFF”

March 29, 2017 - David Dvali and Jarji Akimidze, founders of Rustavi-2 broadcasting company, say in their statement that “As of today, none of the major players (the government, two wings of National Movement) wants existence of influential, independent and impartial television”.

“Within solving this issue, they have one common task- to degrade and neglect the fact that crime was committed in 2004, as in case of this fact recognition, no one will be able to evade legitimate claim of founders – return expropriated television to them”, the founders’ state.




TABULA: “SHEIKH NAHAYAN MAY SELL “TERABANK” DUE TO PROCRASTINATED COURT LITIGATION”

March 28, 2017 - Referring to chairman of International Chamber of Commerce in Georgia (ICC Georgia) Fady Asly, Tabula reports that UAE Minister of Culture, Sport and Social Development Sheikh Nahayan may sell all assets in Georgia, including Terabank.

The magazine specifies that the matter concerns dispute between Terabank and one of its clients that inflicted loss of $16 million on the bank.




TABULA: “THE COURT: FADY ASLY’S STATEMENT THAT THE JUDGE IS ALLEGEDLY CORRUPTED IS CALUMNY”

March 27, 2017 - Chairman of International Chamber of Commerce in Georgia (ICC Georgia) Fady Asly accused the judge, who imposed multimillion fines on international tobacco brands Philip Morris Georgia and British American Tobacco, of corruption.

Tbilisi city court responded to Asly’s statement, declaring that it “is calumny, lacks concrete reasonable ground and aims discrediting of the judge”.




TABULA: “ASLY: THE JUDGE, WHO IMPOSED FINE OF 92M ON “PHILIP MORRIS”, IS CORRUPTED”

March 27, 2017 - Chairman of International Chamber of Commerce in Georgia (ICC Georgia) Fady Asly says that the judge, who imposed multimillion fines on international tobacco brands Philip Morris Georgia and British American Tobacco, is corrupted.

Asly specifies that the matter concerns judge of Tbilisi city court Vladimer Kakabadze, whose ruling was “absolutely unbelievable”.

companies

NETGAZETI.GE: ““GOODWILL”: 109-LARI CHERRY-PLUM WAS SOLD IN A DAY AND A HALF”

March 30, 2017 - Hypermarket Goodwill says that cherry-plum, which price per 1 kg was 109 lari, was fully sold “in about a day and a half”. “Today, we have doubled the order, while have wrote down contacts of those people, who are awaiting us”, the company points.

transport & communications

NETGAZETI.GE: “VIOLATION OF ROAD SAFETY RULES BY MINIBUSES – RESULTS OF THE STUDY”

March 31, 2017 - The newspaper reports about study, conducted by CRRC-Georgia and Fund Partnership for Road Safety, which show that passengers are often transported by defective minibuses.

At that, as the study mentions, 17% of minibuses had at least one glass broken, 22% had installed additional, unfixed chairs, 8.5% had transported standing passengers, cases of speeding were frequent, etc.

international cooperation

REZONANSI: “IF VISA FREE REGIME WILL HAVE NO COMPLICATIONS, NEGOTIATIONS ON WORKING VISAS MAY START”

March 28, 2017 - Korneli Kakachia, founder of Georgian Institute of Politics, says that if Georgia’s visa-free travel to EU, effective from today, “will proceed normally, it is possible that in several years, Georgia will start negotiation with member states concerning issuance of working visas to Georgian citizens in line with some quotas”.

Regarding Tskhinvali region and Abkhazia, Kakachia points: “We should not have illusion that people, living on the occupied territories, will cross so-called borders due to visa liberalization”.

ecology & health

TABULA: “IMPORT OF 40% OF POLYETHYLENE BAGS PLANNED TO BAN IN GEORGIA FROM 2018”

March 29, 2017 - According to document, worked out by Environmental and Natural Resources Protection Ministry, import and production of polyethylene bags with thickness below 10 micron (thinnest, disposable ones) should be banned from this September 1.

While from 2018, the ban will spread to polyethylene bags below 15 micron (relatively thick, but still disposable ones).

finances & banking

EUGEORGIA.INFO: “ASSESSMENT OF DEPOSITS INSURANCE REFORM AND THE WORLD PRACTICE”

March 27, 2017 - Georgian government will submit draft bill “On Deposits Insurance System” to the Parliament in this month. Adoption of the mentioned bill and development of deposits insurance system is part of Georgia-EU Association Agreement, the article points.

construction

NETGAZETI.GE: “FOR WHOM OR FOR WHAT IS NEEDED CONSTRUCTION OF GOVERNMENTAL CAMPUS IN THE CAPITAL”

March 28, 2017 - According to the official information, the governmental campus will be built near Business Hall in Ortachala (Tbilisi district), where “almost all ministries will be located, except few exceptions”.

However, co-head of the working group on Tbilisi general plan of land usage Merab Bolkvadze says that 4-5 ministries are planned to relocate to this territory, which area makes up about 4 ha, while there will be no room for other ministries.