In Georgia, it is established practice that draft laws and regulations are published and publicly debated. By law, all regulations must be issued through a Public Administrative Proceeding, and the public must have an opportunity to participate in the proceeding. The proceeding is as follows:
- The announcement about the launching of the Administrative Proceeding must be published;
- The draft of the regulation (a normative act) must be published also;
- 20 working days must be provided to the public for consideration;
- A hearing is held. In this hearing, participants should be given an opportunity to be acquainted with the proposed regulation and to suggest possible modifications;
- The responsible Governmental authority must consider public opinion in making its final decision; and
- The adopted regulation (a normative act) must be published.
There are also regular meetings at the Ministry of Environment with NGOs to exchange information and to consult while making decisions and considering draft laws and regulations that have been prepared by the Ministry of Environment.
For more information, contact Mrs. Nino Gokhelashvili at gmep@access.sanet.ge