Nino Tandilashvili Presents Planned Amendments to the Environmental Assessment Code and the Law on Industrial Emissions to Businesses
First Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture Nino Tandilashvili met with business representatives at the Business Association of Georgia. The meeting focused on proposed amendments to the Environmental Assessment Code and planned changes to the Law on Industrial Emissions.
Tandilashvili outlined the objectives of the proposed legislative changes, noting that the new regulations aim to improve environmental standards, enhance the quality of services provided to businesses, and simplify administrative procedures.
“The legislative changes we are introducing serve environmental interests while also aiming to reduce bureaucratic barriers and improve administrative procedures. Last year’s amendments to the Environmental Assessment Code and subsequent practical experience demonstrated that businesses need expedited services. Our task is to safeguard environmental interests and support the development of economic activity,” said Nino Tandilashvili.
The draft legislation provides for a review of service fees for environmental assessment procedures. It also clarifies procedural deadlines for standard and expedited processing and updates waste management regulations, including daily capacity thresholds for waste recovery and disposal operations and a more precise definition of “waste pre-treatment.”
The meeting also addressed planned amendments to the Law on Industrial Emissions. The draft legislation establishes a service fee for issuing an integrated environmental permit, equivalent to the service fee for issuing an environmental decision.
For activities requiring both an integrated permit and an environmental impact assessment, businesses will pay only one service fee. The integrated permit fee will remain unchanged at GEL 5,000.
The meeting at the Business Association of Georgia was also attended by Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture Zurab Ezugbaia, Head of the National Environmental Agency Elene Ghubianuri, and Executive Director of the Business Association Levan Vepkhvadze.
