Economic Press Monitor April 21 - 27, 2019	Days:  13 20 27 04 11

economic & politics

NETGAZETI.GE: “ACCORDING TO THE CITY HALL, CANCELLATION OF THE MAIN LIBRARY WILL NOT CAUSE LIBRARIANS TO LOSE JOBS”

April 25, 2019 - Tbilisi City Hall decided to cancel main library of the city, which unites 36 branches, Netgazeti.Ge reports.

Employees of the library say that they could even lose jobs, but the City Hall disproves this.




TABULA: “BAKRADZE ON PENSION REFORM: WE MAINTAIN ANOTHER BUREAUCRACY, WHICH EXISTS AT OUR EXPENSE”

April 24, 2019 - David Bakradze, leader of oppositional European Georgia, indicates that within pension reform, “there is no plan, there is no investment council, there is only Pension Agency”. “We maintain another bureaucracy, which exists at our expense, has very high salaries”, he notes.




NETGAZETI.GE: “TRANSITION TO ACCUMULATIVE PENSION SYSTEM IS PREVENTION OF GROWTH OF TAXES IN FUTURE – THE MINISTER”

April 24, 2019 - In the future, we want to increase pension, Georgia’s Finance Minister Ivane Machavariani declares and adds: “If we’ll not follow the path of accumulative system, then tax rates will grow and will be the same, as in the European countries”.

“Respectively, introduction of accumulative pension means insurance from growth of taxes in the future”, the Minister specifies.




TABULA: ““SAKSTAT” DIRECTOR: ESTABLISHMENT OF FOOD BASKET STRUCTURE IS NOT OUR COMPETENCE”

April 23, 2019 - Gogita Todradze, executive director of Sakstat, points that content of a food basket in Georgia is defined by resolution of the Healthcare Ministry. Sakstat’s task is only establishment of prices of products, which are included in the basket, he declared on air of Public Broadcaster.




TABULA: “BAKHTADZE ON PANKISI: DEVELOPMENT OF ECONOMY NEEDS THE ELECTRIC POWER, DIALOGUE CONTINUES”

April 23, 2019 - Georgia’s Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze declares that dialogue continues on construction of small hydroelectric station in the Pankisi Gorge (Akhmeta municipality of Kakheti region), which the local population opposes.

We have to win against poverty that passes through development of economy, the Premier points and adds: development of economy requires additional electric power.




FORBES GEORGIA: “MAMUKA KHAZARADZE ABOUT ANAKLIA”

April 23, 2019 - Mamuka Khazaradze, founder shareholder of Georgia’s largest TBC Bank, points in his interview to the magazine that Anaklia port is one of the Georgia’s first projects within public-private partnership (PPP).

Khazaradze says that during premiership of Giorgi Kvirikashvili, “we signed the enslaving agreement with the state”.




KVIRIS PALITRA: “POLITICIZED LIVING WAGE OR HOW 288 LARI A MONTH COULD BE ENOUGH FOR THE FAMILY OF 4 PEOPLE?”

April 22, 2019 - Referring to Sakstat, the newspaper says that living wage for average Georgian family (3-4 people) makes up 288-321 lari a month.

The fact that this sum is insufficient for a family maintenance during a month is confirmed also by the Minister of IDPs from Occupied Territories, Labor, Healthcare and Social Protection David Sergeenko, who said that living wage does not mean that this sum must be enough for a family, the newspaper points.




TABULA: “THE GOVERNMENT FINANCED CREDITS TO PRODUCERS OF PLASTIC BAGS AND THEN FORBADE THE BAGS”

April 22, 2019 - Within “Produce in Georgia” state program, Georgian government issued preferential loans to polyethylene-producing companies, Tabula reports.

The article brings example of company AA Plast, which liabilities in this direction amount to 350,000 EUR.




TABULA: “ECONOMY MINISTRY: HYDROELECTRIC STATION IN PANKISI MUST BE BUILT; GAKHARIA: IF 90% DO NOT AGREE, IT WILL NOT BE BUILT”

April 22, 2019 - Giorgi Chikovani, head of Energy Development Fund (structure of Georgian Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development) says that explanations, what results construction of KhadoriHES in the Pankisi Gorge can bring, are carried out for local population during a year.

According to Chikovani, major part of the population has positive attitude, however there are people, who need explanations and work today is conducted exactly in this direction.




NETGAZETI.GE: “16 PEOPLE, INJURED DURING CLASHES IN PANKISI, REMAIN IN HOSPITAL”

April 22, 2019 - 16 people, injured during clashes in the Pankisi Gorge on April 21, remain in referral hospital of Telavi, Netgazeti.Ge reports.

According to Georgian Interior Ministry, medical care was provided in total to 55 persons, including 38 police officers and 17 civilians.

energy, oil & gas

REZONANSI: “OIL IN THE EVE OF TOTAL PRICE GROWTH – WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN GEORGIA”

April 25, 2019 - Georgian Union of Oil-Products Importers assumes that recent global tendency of oil price growth will continue and price will raise even more, the newspaper reports.

Head of the Union Vano Mtvralashvili indicates that considerable oil price growth is caused by situation around Iran.




REZONANSI: “PANKISI MEETING PASSED SENTENCE: “A FULL STOP IS PUT IN THE TOPIC OF HYDROELECTRIC STATION CONSTRUCTION””

April 25, 2019 - Sulkhan Bordzikashvili, civic activist in Pankisi Gorge, says that meeting of local population made the decision that the hydroelectric station Khadori-3 should not be built. “At this moment, a full stop is put in the topic of construction of Khadori-3”, he declared to Pirveli broadcasting company.

finances & banking

BANKEBI DA FINANSEBI: “COMMERCIAL BANKS ADD UP TO 8.5% ON PENSION SUM”

April 24, 2019 - Referring to director of Georgian Pension Agency Levan Surguladze, the newspaper reports that Georgia’s accumulated pension system involves 747,774 persons.

Among them, 187,472 persons work at public service, while 581,439 – in private sector.

construction

BANKEBI DA FINANSEBI: “NEW PROJECT OF “M²” WILL PROMOTE ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE OF REGIONS AND EMPLOYMENT OF POPULATION”

April 25, 2019 - Developer company m² Real Estate declares that current plans envisage opening of 10 hotels countrywide, which total rooms’ number will exceed 1,000.

m² Real Estate opened its first hotel, Ramada Unchor Tbilisi (on Kazbegi St., 15), in 2018, while in December 2019, construction of another Tbilisi hotel of Ramada will be finished on Melikishvili Avenue.

tourism

FORBES GEORGIA: “IN 2018, 120 NEW HOTELS OPENED IN GEORGIA”

April 24, 2019 - In 2018, 120 new hotels opened in Georgia, what by 38 exceeds an indicator of 2017, the magazine report.

Referring to National Tourism Administration, the magazine reports that number of rooms increased last year by 3,387, while number of beds – by 6,969.