Trainings on Public Utility Regulation Held in Georgia with International Visegrad Fund Support

With the support of the International Visegrad Foundation (IVF), trainings were held at the Energy Training Center at the Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission (GNERC).

An expert from the Research Center of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association shared Slovakia's experience on public utility regulation with his Georgian colleagues. Topics included determining end-user tariffs in Slovakia, the role of regulatory bodies, cost-reflective pricing, liberalizing Slovakia's natural gas market, and the tariff regulation policy of state-owned water supply companies.

Since February this year, with the support of the International Visegrad Foundation (IVF), the Energy Training Center under the Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission (GNERC) has been implementing a project titled "Sharing the Experience of the Visegrad Countries on the Regulation of Utility Services". Project partners are the Research Center of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association (Slovakia), the Charles University Environment Center (Czechia), and the Partners for Climate Foundation (Poland).

The project aims to leverage the expertise of Poland, Czechia, and Slovakia in utility service regulation. Through the study and analysis of existing frameworks, the project will identify best practices and promote capacity building among local actors. The project has launched a dedicated website, www.v4share.com.

The project encompasses developing a research document on the regulatory framework for utility services, preparing information on successful international case studies, generating articles by partners from Visegrad countries, and organizing educational events, including online training sessions and public lectures. The project activities will focus on the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region. The project is expected to be completed in February 2025.