To strengthen competition policy, improve legal enforcement, and share international best practices, the Georgian Competition and Consumer Agency, in collaboration with national regulatory agencies, held a roundtable discussion. The event was opened and participants were addressed by Irakli Lekvinadze- the Chairman of the Georgian Competition and Consumer Agency, Natia Turnava- the Acting Governor and First Vice-Governor of the National Bank of Georgia, Davit Narmania- the Chairman of GNERC, David Onoprishvili, the Head of the LEPL Insurance State Supervision Service of Georgia and Ekaterine Imedadze- the Communications Commissioner.

Davit Narmania, the Chairman of GNERC highlighted in his speech that the competition legislation reform had effectively resolved the matters regarding the separation of competences between the Georgian Competition and Consumer Agency and the relevant regulatory bodies.

"It should be noted that the institutional and normative changes implemented for the purpose of enforcement of the competition legislation in the energy sector acquire special importance in the process of the energy market ongoing reform. Energy market liberalization aims to increase the competition in the energy market and, consequently, safeguard consumers’ well-being, which would not be possible without the existence of an orderly, well-structured and effective legal framework for competition."- said GNERC’s chairman.

A speech on the enforcement mechanisms of competition policy in regulated sectors, at both the local and international level, was delivered by Irakli Shakiashvili, Deputy Head of the Legal Department of the Georgian Competition and Consumer Agency, Medeina Augustinavičienė, Deputy Chairperson and board member of the Competition Council of the Republic of Lithuania, and Nora Schindler, a case researcher at the Austrian Federal Competition Authority

Based on the examples of Austria and Lithuania, the participants discussed the current trends, challenges, opportunities and implications that are strategically important issues for the regulatory agencies in the energy, communications, postal and banking sectors. The round table with the participation of national regulatory agencies was held with the support of the EU funded Twinning project.