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Otar Shamugia holds bilateral meetings in Brussels.
The Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, Mr. Otar Shamugia, met with the European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Mr. Virginijus Sinkevičius, as part of his working visit to Brussels.
During the meeting, the parties emphasized the significant success of Georgia on the path to European integration. As mentioned, Georgia had tangible progress in the priority areas outlined in the analytical report of the European Commission issued last year, which was duly assessed by the European Union.
"We are ready to continue working even more intensively to fulfill the priorities and recommendations set by the European Commission. The Ministry is actively preparing for the next steps towards European integration", said Minister Shamugia.
" It is reasonable for industry experts to discuss thoroughly the EU expectations and the required measures in the format of bilateral working groups, as this will contribute to the effective implementation of the recommendations", noted the Minister.
Mr. Shamugia briefed the European Commissioner on the reforms implemented in the environmental protection field - the national legislation has fully converged with the framework legislation and standards of the European Union in air quality management.
Following EU legislation last year, the Parliament of Georgia adopted a new Law of Georgia: "On Industrial Emissions".
During the meeting, the Minister noted that the adoption of modern water resources management systems is one of the top priorities for Georgia. The country is gradually moving to a new system of water resources management - river basin management, which will improve access to quality water and protect water resources.
The protection of biodiversity and pollution of the environment with waste is a significant challenge for Georgia and almost for the whole world. Accordingly, preventing and developing the legislative framework in the mentioned directions is one of the priorities for Georgia. Following the European Union legislation, with the support of the European Union, a waste management system based on European approaches has been established in the country, which ensures the prevention of waste generation. In addition, the Ministry is working on developing the national concept of sustainable development of fisheries, which outlines all directions necessary for protecting fish resources and developing sustainable fisheries.
European Commissioner for Environment Protection, Oceans and Fisheries, Mr. Virginius Sinkevičius positively evaluated and welcomed the environmental protection reforms carried out in Georgia, and the pace the country is taking in its European integration. The European Commissioner expressed his full support for future sectoral reforms.