georgia’s democratic transformation
DESCRIPTION
GEORGIA’S DEMOCRATIC TRANSFORMATION. Office of the State Minister on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Tbilisi, August 2006. Tel: +(995 32) 932867. www.eu-nato.gov.ge [email protected]. Fax +(995 32) 995467. STRATEGIC GOALS. Building a strong, united & stable Democracy - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
GEORGIA’S DEMOCRATIC GEORGIA’S DEMOCRATIC TRANSFORMATIONTRANSFORMATION
Office of the State Minister on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration
Tbilisi, August 2006
Tel: +(995 32) 932867
Fax +(995 32) 995467
www.eu-nato.gov.ge
2
STRATEGIC GOALSSTRATEGIC GOALS
Building a strong, united & stable Democracy
Euro-Atlantic Integrationshort term – NATO membership long term – Increased Cooperation with EU
3
OBJECTIVESOBJECTIVES
Peaceful Conflict Resolution
Human Rights, Rule of Law and Good Governance
Economic Development
Security Sector Reform
4
MECHANISMSMECHANISMS
Government Action Plan of Reforms 2006-2009
Individual Partnership Action Plan with NATO, 2004-2006
European Neighborhood Policy Action Plan, to be signed in October 2006
IPAP IMPLEMENTATION COORDINATION MECHANISMIPAP IMPLEMENTATION COORDINATION MECHANISM
Prime MinisterChairman
Secretary of NationalSecurity CouncilMinistry of
Justice
Ministry ofEconomic Development
Minister of Environmental ProtectionAnd Natural Resources
Chairman ofForeign Relations
Committee of Parliament
Chairman ofEuropean Integration
Committee of Parliament
Chairman ofDefence and Security
Committee of Parliament
Chief ofGeneral StaffArmed Forces
Political Issues
Working Group #1
Administrative,Protective Security
and Resource Issues
Working Group #6Science Co-operation Issues
Working Group #5
Economic Development and
Fight Against Corruption
Working Group #2
Deputy Minister(WG Leader)
Deputy Minister(WG Leader)
Deputy Minister(WG Leader)
Deputy Minister(WG Leader)
National SecurityCouncil
State Minister on Reforms
Co-ordination
Defense, Securityand Military Issues
Working Group #3
Deputy Minister(WG Leader)
Combating Terrorismand Civil Emergency
Planning
Working Group #4
Deputy Minister(WG Leader)
Minister ofEducation and
ScienceMinister of Defence
Minister ofInterior
Minister ofFinance
State Ministeron European and Euro-Atlantic Integration
Deputy Chairman
Minister ofForeign Affairs
6
Prime MinisterChairman
Minister of AgricultureMinister of
Justice
Minister ofEconomic Development
Minister of Environmental ProtectionAnd Natural Resources
Minister of Health, Labor and
Social Protection
Head of Mission to European Communities
Invited Representatives from the Parliament
State Minister on Conflict Resolution
GEPLAC
State Minister on Reforms
Co-ordination
Sub
-wor
king
gro
up o
nE
duca
tion
Issu
es
Inter-Agency Working GroupDeputy Ministers from Respective Line Ministries
Minister ofEducation and
ScienceMinister of Energy
Minister ofInterior
Minister ofFinance
State Ministeron European and Euro-Atlantic Integration
Deputy Chairman(Secretariat of the Commission)
Minister of Culture
EU Support
Ministry ofForeign Affairs
Deputy Chairman
Sub
-wor
king
gro
up o
n E
nviro
nmen
tal I
ssue
s
Sub
-wor
king
gro
up o
nC
onsu
mer
Rig
hts
Issu
es
Sub
-wor
king
gro
up o
nC
ompe
titio
n Is
sues
Sub
-wor
king
gro
up o
nT
rans
port
Iss
ues
Sub
-wor
king
gro
up o
n E
nerg
y Is
sues
Sub
-wor
king
gro
up o
nC
orpo
rate
Law
Iss
ues
Sub
-wor
king
gro
up o
nA
gric
ultu
re I
ssue
s
Sub
-wor
king
gro
up o
nT
axi I
ssue
s
Sub
-wor
king
gro
up o
nC
usto
ms
Issu
es
Sub
-wor
king
gro
up o
nLa
bor
Law
Iss
ues
Sub
-wor
king
gro
up o
nB
anki
ng I
ssue
s
Sub
-wor
king
gro
up o
nIn
telle
ctua
l Iss
ues
Sub
-wor
king
gro
up o
nIn
sura
nce
Issu
es
Sub
-wor
king
gro
up o
nS
ecur
ities
Iss
ues
Sub
-wor
king
gro
up o
nS
tand
ardi
zatio
n Is
sues
EU Integration MachineryEU Integration MachineryGovernmental Commission on EUGovernmental Commission on EU Integration
7
PEACEFUL CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Ajara, Georgia:
Rule of law and central government jurisdiction re-established in Ajara Region of Georgia after peaceful uprising against corrupt and authoritarian local leader in May 2004
Revival:
All pension and wage arrears (GEL 4,6 ml) paid out in 2004
23% growth of regional budget revenues in 2005
Transfers from central government increased by GEL 4,6 ml
Investment growth by GEL 5 ml in 2003-2006
87% growth of number of tourists in 2004-2005
8
PEACEFUL CONFLICT RESOLUTION
South Ossetia/Tskhinvali Region, Georgia:
January 2005 – Georgia’s President’s Peace Initiative on Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia
July 2005 - Georgia’s Peace Plan for resolution of Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia conflict– unanimous approval by OSCE (Ljubljana Ministerial December 2005)
DemilitarizationSocial and Economic Rehabilitation /Confidence
BuildingRenewing of Political Negotiations on Conflict
Resolution
9
PEACEFUL CONFLICT RESOLUTION
February 2006 - Georgia’s unilateral peaceful measures:
Demilitarization of the conflict zoneLaw on Rehabilitation and Restitution of property of
victims of the Conflict approved by the parliament
June 2006 - 12 Million Euros will be allocated by the EU member countries and the US in joint Georgian-Ossetian project for the social and economic rehabilitation of the region. Equivalent amount will be allocated by the Georgian government
10
PEACEFUL CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Abkhazia, Georgia:
October 2005 - Parliament of Georgia requested the government to present a Peace Plan for the resolution of the conflict in Abkhazia, Georgia
July 2006 – After successful Police Operation in Upper Abkhazia (Kodori Gorge) law and order was reestablished in this part of Abkhazia, Georgia
11
PEACEFUL CONFLICT RESOLUTION
July 2006 – As part of the efforts to Internationalise the Peace Keeping in the Conflict Regions, Parliament of Georgia passed a Resolution on the withdrawal of CIS Peacekeepers from both South Ossetia/Tskhinvali and Abkhazia Conflict Regions of Georgia
Georgia seeks good neighborly relations with Russia, as both countries have common objective interest in fighting aggressive separatism. Role of the EU is decisive in the engaging Russia positively in the Peace Process
12
HUMAN RIGHTS
UN Convention Against Torture ratified in July 2005
Public Defender entrusted with monitoring of the penitentiary establishments
Drastic decrease of cases of ill-treatment and abuse of prisoners’ rights
New international standard prisons built
13
HUMAN RIGHTS
Framework Convention on National Minorities ratified by the Parliament, October 2005
Comprehensive Concept on the State Policy on Protection and Integration of Minorities elaborated by the Parliament, September 2005
The Parliament of Georgia adopted a legislative package on Human Trafficking, April 2006
Freedom of Speech is guaranteed by one of the most liberal Media legislations in Europe. Latest law adopted in June 2004 provides even greater protection to journalists
Amendments to the Civil Code enable Religious Organizations to register as legal entities, April 2005
14
RULE OF LAWJudiciary Reform
Free and Fair Courts of Law:
Prosecutor General no longer has a seat in Justice Council and additional seats are provided for judges, who now have a majority in the Council
New Criminal Procedure Code elaborated - open and free court system that guarantees equality before law
The court is given a mechanism of control over the breach of privacy of citizens from the side of the authorities
Appearance before judge within 24 hours, instead of 48 hours, after arrest
Witnesses will not need to testify before the trial starts
15
RULE OF LAWJudiciary Reform
Effective Administration of Justice:
Reorganization of Court System 2005-2007
Introduction of sequential order of Court Instances (District Court, Court of Appeals, Supreme Court)
Establishment of 18 larger district (city) courts
Introduction of 48 specialized Magistrate Judges in criminal , civil and administrative cases
16
RULE OF LAWJudiciary Reform
Effective Administration of Justice:
In accordance with the recommendations of international experts Higher Justice School for training and re-qualification of judges has been established
Revision of the verdict when new evidence is found will be made by the court of appeals
Creation of integrated virtual network that will provide integral document circulation, case management, and establishment of common judiciary practice
Substantial rise in the salaries of the judges
Total refurbishment of court buildings
17
RULE OF LAWJudiciary Reform
Transparency of the Courts:
Introduction of Speaker Judges is an important mechanism relationship between the Court and the public
Facilities have been installed in all Court session halls for video and audio recording of trials, and preparation of quality electronic material from media and public
18
RULE OF LAWAnti-Corruption Efforts
Action Plan of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy of Georgia
(March 2006)
Specific Anti-Corruption Measures
Enhancement of the Overall Mechanism
of Fighting Corruption
International Commitments
Anti-Corruption Strategy of Georgia
(June 2005)
19
RULE OF LAWAnti-Corruption Efforts
Number of high level officials arrested as a part of anti-corruption campaign
Reform in the police is a success – from one of the most corrupt agencies, police now enjoys overwhelming (75%) public trust
Significant increase of salaries of public servants
20
RULE OF LAW Anti-Corruption Efforts
International Evaluation
According to 2006 World Bank report “Anticorruption in Transition 3” Georgia saw the largest reduction in corruption among all transition countries from 2002-2005
In EBRD Transition Report 2005 Georgia is Second (after Slovak Republic) among the Countries with Transition Economies in terms of improvements related to corruption
According to EBRD, the rate for Georgia in the Bribe Tax was reduced from 2.7 to 0,5 (Mature Market economies)
21
GOOD GOVERNANCE
Structural Reforms in the Government:
Number of ministries reduced from 18 to 13
Number of government agencies reduced from 52 to 3
Introduction of new, objective and universal professional selection criteria for Public Service
22
GOOD GOVERNANCE
Strengthening Local Self-Governance:
European Charter on Local Self-Governance ratified in October 2004
2005-2006 Parliament adopted series of laws on Local Self-Governance
New legislation decentralizes administrative, budgetary and property management powers to the local self-government entities
Local Government Elections will be held on 5 October 2006
Voters’ Lists are being reviewed by the Election Commission
Majority of Venice Commission recommendations on the amendments to the Election Code accepted
23
GOOD GOVERNANCE
International Evaluation
In 2006 State of World Liberty Index data Georgia holds the 58th position among the 166 countries.
(The ranking is based on three criteria: individual freedom, economic freedom and government size and taxation)
24
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Liberalization
Deregulation of economy and intensive privatization
New Liberal Tax Code introduced: number of taxes reduced from 21 to 7. VAT reduced from 20% to 18%, Income tax reduced from 20% to 12 % Social Tax reduced from 33 to 20%
New Law on Customs Duties adopted, July 2006
Draft Custom Code presented to the Parliament
25
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Liberalization
Modernization and simplification of the system of business licensing
“One stop shop” for businesses
“One stop shop” for custom procedures
26
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Trade Policy
Low import tariff system to be introduced in September 2006, with 0% rate on majority of import goods, 5% and 12% rates on few variety of goods
Reduction of the Number of Export/Import Licenses from
14 to 8
Recognition of OECD and European Council Technical Regulation in Trade
27
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Trade Regimes
Most Favored Nation Tariffs with WTO Members
GSP + scheme granted by the EU (Georgia being one of two beneficiaries of the scheme in CIS)
GSP scheme granted by the USA, Canada, Switzerland and Japan
Free Trade Agreement with 8 CIS members
28
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
1,8
4,85,5
8,6
6,2
9,3
0
2,5
5
7,5
10
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
Real GDP Growth
29
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
2003 2004 2005
turnover
Foreign Trade Growth (million USD)
54.3%
34.3%
1620
2500
3358
30
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
131 110 107
61
109
231
139
360
183
264
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
Other FDI BTC share
Increase in Foreign Direct Investments (million USD)
31
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Estimated Real
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Increase in the State Budget Revenues (million GEL)
11541049 1216 1239
3428
30683256
2842
22831926
32
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Social Policy
State budget surplus GEL 471 ml in 2006
8 times increase in financing education and 3 times increase in healthcare as well as social programmes in the 2006 budget as compared to the 2003 budget
1.6 times increase in the average salary of public employees from 2003 to 2005
2.4 times increase in pensions
Pension and wage arrears, accumulated over a period of 6 years, paid up. Pensions to grow 30 % by September 2006
Improvement in infrastructure throughout the country
33
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
International Evaluation
According to the World Bank, Georgia ranks 1st in the world for the intensity of reforms in 2006, moving from the 2nd position in 2005
According to the World Bank’s Doing Business Economic Ranking Georgia ranks 37th in 2006 in terms of business environment, moving from the 100th position in 2005
EBRD Transition Report 2005 ranks Georgia as a best performing economy in terms of its success in improving Tax Administration
Described as “mostly free”, Georgia’s Economy was ranked 68th among 161 countries of the world by the Heritage Foundation/Wall Street Journal Index of Economic Freedom, following those of Czech Republic, Israel, Spain and Greece
The WB, IMF and other international financial organizations assess Georgian Financial Indicators for 2005 as successful
34
SECURITY SECTOR REFORMLaw Enforcement
Border Management:
EU Special Representative’s Office in Georgia successful cooperation in process of Border Management reform
Border Guard was transformed from a paramilitary force into a police type agency
Significant increase of Border Police budget (from 21 ml in 2005 to 34 ml 2006)
Budget of the Border Police has been decentralized to the level of regional units
Joint Technical Scheme of Border and Customs Management has been elaborated
Border Police Faculty has been established in the Police Academy
35
SECURITY SECTOR REFORMLaw Enforcement
Illegal Migration/Human Trafficking:
New Law on Human Trafficking adopted by the Parliament, April 2006
Government Action Plan on fight against Human Trafficking 2005-2006 under implementation
Database of victims of human trafficking and of traffickers has been created, March 2006
Draft Programme of Psychological and Medical Support to the Victims of Human Trafficking has been elaborated
36
SECURITY SECTOR REFORM Defence
Process of SDR development is in advanced stage
All necessary conceptual documents are in place: National Military Strategy Threat Assessment Visions of the Minister of Defence and of the Chief of the
General Staff Priorities of Defence Policy in 2006
Structural changes have been conducted: Responsibilities between the Ministry of Defence and General
Staff have been clearly divided
37
SECURITY SECTOR REFORM Defence
In 2004-06 defence budget increased significantly
Social conditions of the personnel have improved
Since 2003 salaries increased by 113%
All major infrastructure has been renovated or rebuilt
Reformation of all defence structures and management systems according to the NATO recommendations is ongoing
38
SECURITY SECTOR REFORM Defence
Significant progress has been achieved in improving the human resource management, logistics and military education systems
Interoperability with NATO and partner countries units increased significantly
Appropriate legislation and structures to ensure democratic control over the armed forces are in place
Defence budget is transparent and open to the public
39
SECURITY SECTOR REFORM Defence
Land Forces Command has been created
Education Command has been formed
General Staff in process of transformation into the Joint Staff
Language training system was updated based on NATO recommendations
New law on Defence Planning to be approved
Planning, Programming and Budgeting System (PPBS) is under development with support of the Ministries of Defence of Netherlands and Romania
40
SECURITY SECTOR REFORM Defence
Growth of Defence Expenditure(Million GEL)
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
2004 2005 2006
181
315
614
41
PRIORITIESPRIORITIES
Implementation of Peace Plan/Continuation of Unilateral Efforts
Judiciary Reform
Defence Reform
Open, Free and Fair Local Elections in December 2006