DCFTA Roundtable in Gori

A workshop on the implementation of the DCFTA was organized in Gori on 21 February 2017, with representatives from the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, the Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia, the Office of the State Minister of Georgia on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, the Shida Kartli State Governor Administration and the EU Delegation to Georgia. The meeting was led by Genadi Arveladze, Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia.

In addition to ongoing DCFTA-related matters, various priority issues for private sector representatives from the region were discussed. The meeting participants spoke about the need for development of enterprise management skills for entrepreneurs and active involvement in export and trade relations, which the DCFTA offers to the private sector companies, as an opportunity for growth and seizing upon export potential.

“The Ministry of Economy and Sustained Development of Georgia, jointly with other ministries, is continuing the DCFTA awareness rising campaign in rural areas under the framework of the EU Association Agreement programme. The campaign started at the end of last year, and we are planning to visit and hold informative meetings in every region this year. Our goal is to provide representatives of the private sector with the maximum amount of information related to the benefits of free trade with the European Union. It is also important to receive feedback from the representatives of private sector regarding their needs for exporting products in the EU market,” outlined Mr. Genadi Arveladze to the assembled members of the media.

Mr. Nodar Kereselidze, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, noted that the DCFTA enables Georgian farmers to export their produce on the EU market, and emphasized the crucial importance of fulfilling the applicable requirements and standards: “The goal of our visit today is to inform farmers and enterprise owners of the obligations and new regulations that are related to this agreement, and that it is necessary to fulfil established standards in order to export to the EU market.”

Meetings with private sector representatives regarding the DCFTA are being held across the country, with the aim to cover all regions of Georgia by the end of the 2017.