This document summarizes the progress and plans of the EU4Environment program in Georgia between 2019-2020. It is organized by the five results areas: greener decision making, circular economy opportunities, environmental level playing field, coordination, and communication. For each result, it outlines the key activities completed in 2019-2020 and plans for 2020, which include further trainings, workshops, guidelines and strategies developed, partnerships established, and indicators and communication enhanced to continue progressing green growth in Georgia.

1. EU4Environment in Georgia:
Progress in 2019-20 and plans till end 2020

2. Result 1. Greener decision making (UNEP)
Progress in 2019-20 (May) Plans for 2020
 Environmental Information and Education Center to
host, promote and deliver an introductory Green
Economy (GE) course
 Nomination of participants for the in-depth GE policy-
making course
 Request for trainees extended among other line
Ministries
 Translation, hosting, promotion and delivery of the
introductory GE course among various civil servants
 Learning needs assessment conducted among all
nominated trainees
 Delivery of a tailored, interactive webinar training to
nominated participants (from all EaP countries)
 Inter-ministerial coordination mechanism identified for
future support

3. Result 1. Greener decision making (UNECE: SEA/EIA)
Progress in 2019-20 (May) Plans for 2020
 First training workshop on SEA for municipal spatial plans –
screening and scoping (16-17 May 2019, Tbilisi)
 Second training workshop on SEA for municipal spatial plans
– SEA report, quality control and final SEA recommendations
(19-20 September 2019, Tbilisi)
 Coordination meeting with 6 beneficiary countries in the
margins of the UNECE Working Group on EIA and SEA (26-28
November 2019, Geneva), no cost for the project
 Update and supplementing of national EIA and SEA
Guidelines – initiated in December 2019
 Development of sector-specific Guidelines on EIA in the
Hydropower Sector with a focus on transboundary aspects –
initiated in early 2020
 Pilot SEA of a draft government plan/programme
- subject to Georgia’s identification of a strategic
document
 Update and supplementing of national EIA and SEA
Guidelines completed
 Training workshop on SEA
 Awareness raising event to promote elaboration of
secondary legislation on SEA (to be further reconfirmed with
GE)
 First sub-regional training workshop on SEA and
transboundary EIA (October 2020, Tbilisi)
- virtual training?

4. Result 2. Circular economy and new growth opportunities (UNEP)
Progress in 2019-20 (May) Plans for 2020
 Coordination meeting with the key stakeholders and
training workshop on Sustainable Public Procurement
(SPP)
 Identification of national partners on SPP and eco-
labeling: State Public Agency (SPP), IEIC (eco-labelling)
 Stocktaking of previous work, as well as consultations
for waste action plan development and integration of
EPR principles
 Training on eco-innovation approach and
methodology
 Draft SPP-related provisions for a new public
procurement Law
 Assistance in development of by-laws and guidelines
on SPP
 Assessment of the eco-labeling system
 Preparation of infographics on SPP
 Review existing waste policies and initiate technical
assistance for drafting waste management action plans
 Conducting eco-innovation policy review and trainings
in priority SME sectors
 Participation in a regional experience sharing event on
eco-innovation for SMEs

5. Result 2. Circular economy and new growth opportunities (UNIDO)
Progress in 2019-20 (May) Plans for 2020
 RECP financing issues reported at the OECD-led
national consultations (July, 2019) and the follow-up
publication
 Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production National
Implementing Partner identified and contracted
(Energy Efficiency Centre Georgia)
 Launch event “Circular Economy and New Growth
Opportunities for SMEs” jointly organized with UNEP
(February, 2020)
 Kick-off meeting and establishment of RECP
stakeholders group
 15 RECP experts to be trained
 RECP assessments of 15 manufacturing to be
conducted
 2 RECP clubs to be launched in 2 municipalities of
Georgia

6. Result 3. Environmental level playing field (OECD)
Progress in 2019-20 (May) Plans for 2020
 Regional workshop on BAT (October 2019)
 Environment dimension of the SME Policy Index (including a chapter on
Georgia)
 Fact-finding mission to Georgia on Projects “Reforming regulatory regimes
for large emission sources” and “Strengthening of Compliance Assurance
Systems” (28-29 November 2019)
 Draft estimates of fossil-fuel subsidies for 2016-2019 for the OECD-IEA
Fossil-fuel subsidies database
 National Policy Dialogue meeting (16 July 2019) and Report on Access to
green finance for SMEs in Georgia
 Launch of preparatory work on green
finance and investment (green bonds) and green public investment
programme projects (draft ToRs)
 Launch of preparatory work on administrative capacity for environmental
management project (consultations with SIGMA, draft ToR, outline and
concept note)
 Support with Information on the environmental regulation of specific sectors
using IED BAT implementation and support with the development of general
binding rules for a particular sector (poultry);
 capacity building activities on methods to assess remediation actions needed
following damages to the environment (EU Environmental Liability Directive)
 Regional seminar on greening SMEs
 Regional meeting on BAT (November 2020)
 Review of the compliance assurance system
 Short assessment report to support reform of the systems of administrative
sanctions, monetary payments and penalties for non-compliance
 Launch of designing a green public investment programme
 Analytical report on fossil-fuel subsidies, including Georgia
 Collection of data on energy-related taxes
 Fact-finding mission on green bonds project (subject to easing travel policy)
 Regional meeting on green finance (October 2020)
 Analytical report on existing/required administrative capacity in the
environmental sector

7. Result 5. Monitoring progress at environment-economy nexus (OECD)
(5.3. Green growth indicators)
Progress in 2019-20 (May) Plans till end 2020
 Overview of available green growth indicators in the
OECD database for Georgia and initial internal
discussions on its extension
 Country profile
Activities 5.1 and 5.2 on coordination and
communication will be discussed under Items 4 and 5 of
the Agenda.
 Critical amount of work on green growth indicators
in planned for 2021-22
 Video on green growth indicators (regional)
 New edition of the country profile

8. Discussion
1. Feasibility of using alternative modes of operation (e.g. virtual
meetings, web-based trainings, use of local consultants)
2. Maintaining/postponing/advancing activities

9. Item 4: Co-ordination (Result 5.1)
Progress in 2019-20 (May) Plans till end 2020
 Launch event in Georgia (April 2019, Tbilisi)
 Inaugural Regional Assembly meeting
(June 2019, Brussels)
 Six EaP country virtual consultations (May-June
2020)
 Second Regional Assembly meeting:
 Virtual (Zoom) meeting on 22-23
September 2020
 in-person meeting in November-December
2020, if travel restrictions lifted, possibly in
Kyiv, Ukraine

10. Item 5: Communication (Result 5.2)
Progress in 2019-20 (May) Plans till end 2020
 Promotion of EU4Environment on national web sites (Georgia
1, Georgia 2) and EU platform
 Programme leaflet in Georgian
 Country profile
 Web site (OECD domain:
http://www.oecd.org/site/eu4environment/
 Inaugural Newsletter, reaching more than 200 subscribers*
 Videos “About EU4Environment” and “About the Inaugural
Assembly meeting”
 Use of social media (YouTube, Flickr, existing Twitter channels)
 Publication « Access to Green Finance for SMEs in Georgia »
(English/Georgian)
 Generic totems for meetings
* Please sign-up for EU4Environment newsletter here
 Newsletter on a monthly basis (extension of the list of
subscribers)
 Development and launch of a new web site (more
interactive features)
 Production of new videos (Regional Assembly, thematic
videos, interviews)
 Use of Social media on a regular basis
 Work with “young EU ambassadors”
 Promotion at national and international events (incl. the
EaP Ministerial, 7 October 2020, Luxembourg)
 Translation of totems/selected documents into national
languages
 Reinforced coordination with other programmes (i.e.,
OPEN Programme, EU4Business, etc.)