Members of the Economic Policy Committee discussed, in the II reading, a number of draft laws requested for consideration under an expedited procedure.

First Deputy Economy and Sustainable Development Minister Nino Enukidze presented the draft Railway Code and the draft law On State Property, and spoke about the proposed changes.

According to the legislative initiative prepared by the Government of Georgia, the alienation or privatization of main railway tracks and their protective zones that are owned by the state and/or form part of the capital of enterprises operating with state shareholding will be prohibited. At the same time, it will remain permissible to transfer such property into the capital of enterprises in which the state holds more than a 50 percent ownership stake. According to the presenter, technical and editorial comments were incorporated into the draft following its adoption in the I reading.

Deputy Infrastructure Minister Mzia Giorgobiani presented the draft law On Roads and the related legislative amendments.

Under the proposed amendments, the Ministry of Infrastructure will be authorized to carry out the maintenance of international and domestic roads, in whole or in part, through a private legal entity operating under its management. According to the presenter, this approach will ensure more efficient organization of road maintenance, facilitate the use of modern technologies, and support the introduction of uniform service standards.

Committee members also reviewed, article by article, the draft Spatial Planning, Architectural and Construction Activities Code. According to Levan Machavariani, First Deputy Chair of the “Georgian Dream” parliamentary faction, the submitted version of the draft reflects comments received and clarifies a number of terms.

The Chair of the Economic Policy Committee, Shota Berekashvili, introduced the draft law Organizing Lotteries, Games of Chance and Prize Games and the accompanying package of amendments. Under the proposed changes, the concepts of the international organization of casino games, slot machine games, and betting activities in a system-electronic format, together with the corresponding licensing regime, are introduced. The amendments define the conditions for issuing such licenses, their duration, licensing requirements, and mechanisms for regulating and supervising the relevant activities.

At the committee meeting, the Chair of the Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Committee, Maia Bitadze, presented the draft law On Grants.

According to her, technical amendments and editorial revisions were made to the draft following the I reading. Under the legislative initiative, the Georgia-registered entrepreneurial entity JSC Georgia Energy Development Fund will be authorized to act both as a recipient and a provider of grants.

The Economic Policy Committee approved the drafts.