Parliament unanimously supported, with 84 votes in favour, the adoption of the amendments to the Law on Grants in the third reading.

As the rapporteur on the matter, First Deputy Chair of the Legal Issues Committee, Tornike Cheishvili, explained, under the draft law, grants issued within the framework of the EU’s research and innovation programme Horizon Europe, the Erasmus+ programme, the German Academic Exchange Service, and the Creative Europe programme between Georgia and the European Union will no longer be subject to mandatory government approval.

According to the draft, the definition of a grant is also clarified. Specifically, technical or expert assistance, knowledge-sharing, and similar forms of contribution will also be recognised as grants. In addition, the amendments introduce technical clarifications regarding the use of funds provided under a grant, particularly in relation to humanitarian, defence, and security sectors. The list of entities authorised to issue grants is also further specified.