At a meeting of the Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Committee, members reviewed, in the II reading, the Draft Administrative Offences Code.

The draft law and accompanying legislative package were presented by Zurab Ezugbaia, Deputy Environmental Protection and Agriculture Minister.

The legislative package aims to clarify administrative liability provisions related to environmental protection and environmental impact assessment.

Under the proposed amendments, the definitions of certain administrative offences will be revised, the time limits for imposing liability will be clarified, and new administrative sanctions will be introduced for violations of environmental requirements.

The draft law establishes mechanisms for warnings, fines, and increased penalties in cases of repeated violations.

The Committee also reviewed amendments to the Law on Water Resources Management, which would postpone the entry into force of certain provisions by one year—from 1 September 2026 to 1 September 2027.

Zurab Ezugbaia additionally presented amendments to the Forest Code, together with related draft laws.

The purpose of the initiative is to address systemic challenges in the forestry sector, halt forest degradation, and ensure sustainable forest management.

The proposed amendments provide for strengthening forest protection measures, enhancing the institutional capacity of the National Forestry Agency, introducing a new model for timber harvesting and commercialization, as well as refining regulations governing the use of forest resources.

According to the legislative initiative, responsibility for the physical protection of forests will be returned to the National Forestry Agency.

The draft law introduces the term “forest ranger” (forest physical protection officer) into the Forest Code. Forest rangers will be responsible for protecting designated forest areas, preventing, detecting, and suppressing administrative offences, and supporting forest management activities. The proposal also includes measures to improve and strengthen the material and technical resources of the forestry system.

Committee members further reviewed, in II reading, the draft Law on Environmental Liability.

According to the Government’s legislative initiative, the amendments will reduce the timeframes for decision-making by the Environmental Supervision Department and the National Environment Agency, shorten deadlines for the submission of documentation by interested parties, clarify procedures for identifying deficiencies and suspending administrative proceedings, and specify the stages for reviewing and approving remediation plans for significant environmental damage.

The Committee also discussed the draft law “On the Establishment and Management of the Tsiv-Gombori Protected Areas”.

Under the proposal, the following protected areas will be established within the administrative boundaries of the municipalities of Sagarejo, Gurjaani, and Telavi: Tsiv-Gombori National Park – 21,761 hectares; Signagi Managed Reserve – 554 hectares; Tsiv-Gombori Protected Landscape – 17,562 hectares.

According to the presenter, the draft law defines the management authorities and permitted activities for each protected area.

Management responsibilities will be allocated as follows: the Agency of Protected Areas will manage the Tsiv-Gombori National Park and the Signagi Managed Reserve, the Municipality of Gurjaani, under delegated authority, will manage the Tsiv-Gombori Protected Landscape, and state forests located within the protected landscape will continue to be managed by the National Forestry Agency.

As a consequence of the establishment of the protected areas, amendments to the Administrative Offences Code will authorize the Mayor of Gurjaani Municipality or a designated representative to draw up administrative offence reports within the territory of the Tsiv-Gombori Protected Landscape.

The Committee approved the drafts.