GCCA Deputy Chairman meets Sven Giegold on May 7

Georgia: Levan Kalandadze, Deputy Chairman of the Georgian Competition and Consumer Agency (GCCA), met with Sven Giegold, State Secretary of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, on May 7, 2024, Tuesday.

The meeting discussed potential formats for mutual cooperation and future development. The main focus was on the legislative reforms that have been implemented in Georgia, particularly in the areas of competition and consumer protection. The discussion revolved around the achieved results, existing challenges, and various cooperation formats with different target audiences.

Salome Kavtaradze, the Head of the GCCA’s legal department, addressed the meeting regarding the Agency’s capabilities and enforcement methods, as well as current and completed key cases.

In parallel, the Agency hosted a working discussion with officials from the German business delegation, chaired by Irakli Shakiashvili, the Deputy Head of the Agency’s legal department. 

The meeting was organized in a question-and-answer format. The primary topics discussed were efforts to strengthen competition policy, legal procedures, and enforcement mechanisms.

The German side positively evaluated the Competition and Consumer Protection Agency’s activities. On a bilateral level, the parties committed to actively engaging on numerous platforms to facilitate future cooperation.

The meeting was attended by Franciska Alarich, employee in charge of Georgian matters; Sarah Zielonka, First Secretary of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Head of economic and press affairs; Tamar Mermanishvili, Donor Relations and Projects Manager and other GCCA employees.

Georgian Competition and Consumer Agency (GCCA) 

The Georgian Competition and Consumer Agency (GCCA)  was established in 2014 through the Law of Georgia on Competition. It functions as an independent legal entity of public law. It operates under the accountability of the Prime Minister, the Georgian parliament, and the wider society. The Agency’s core mandate revolves around the enforcement of competition, anti-dumping, and consumer protection policies.”