As part of the Parliamentary Platform for Sustainable Transport, the Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Committee held the first working meeting which was composed of the Committee Chair Nino Tsilosani, representative of partner NGOs and experts.

“Together we have established a very important platform and I am sure that the ultimate outcome – the document defining the policy of sustainable transport development – will be quite tangible and significant. The Committee is well aware of the priorities in the fields of ecology and environmental protection. Clean Air for Blue Skies – the day which the world celebrates – lies within our priorities and we do believe that by changing the ways we interact with the environment, we can attain the quality of ecology we are desperately deprived of. However, these changes require reforms, proper policy and the commitment of our citizens as these changes to some extent alter the way we live. Ultimately, these novelties lead to the best – ecological improvement and the advancement of environmental priorities”, - N. Tsilosani remarked.

As the MP added, the Committee determined that the clean air and high standards of ecology are achieved through the focus of sustainable transport development. Thus, the Committee together with the partner organizations (BEC, Georgian Alliance for Safe Roads) began working on this issue with field experts.

The Parliamentary Platform for Sustainable Transport aims to develop a policy document that enshrines two major areas for the advancement of sustainable transport: removal and disposal of old vehicles and the replacement of outmoded fleet with new, environmentally friendly transportation means.

Pursuant to Natia Katsiashvili, Executive Director of the Business and Economic Center (BEC), the meeting was preceded with a rather complex work process and it is important that the Committee didn’t leave this issue beyond the consideration. She hoped that through joint efforts they would be able to present a specific, tangible policy vision, resulting in improved road safety, air quality, etc.

As Ekaterine Laliashvili, Chairwoman of the Alliance for Safe Roads, noted, their organization has been working for years on road safety, transport ecology, and air quality, but has never had such support from the Committee. She mentioned that such political support is extremely important and expressed hope that the society, which is also very worried about air quality today, will stand by the state in resolving these acute issues.

It was once again noted that the Parliamentary Platform for Sustainable Transport was established as part of the “Participatory Public-Private Dialogue Development for Inclusive Economic Growth” project by the Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Committee and the partner NGOs in view to facilitate the reduction of environmental impact by road transport in Georgia.

This process was preceded by research activities and a thematic inquiry by the Committee on the Air Condition in Tbilisi, which revealed that despite numerous steps taken by the authorities, the problem of air pollution in the country remains acute and harms the public health.

Studies have shown that Georgia ranks 50th in the world in the relative number of deaths caused by air pollution. According to the data of 2018-2019, the average content of PM2.5 solid particles in Tbilisi exceeds the allowable norm by 15%, while the NOx content exceeds by 33-58%. However, it was suggested that the main reason for air pollution is vehicle emissions, as well as the abundance of rather older vehicles in the country.

Therefore, the development of a sustainable transport platform is on the agenda, which aims to develop a policy to facilitate the replacement of vehicles mainly responsible for air pollution in Georgia with eco-friendly vehicles. Also, the initiative envisages to improve the involvement of stakeholders in the process of developing a sustainable transport policy, which will facilitate the planning of reforms, creation of an efficient regulatory framework and, as a result, the effectiveness of reforms.

At the working meeting, Giorgi Babunashvili, a transport policy expert, introduced the policy of renewal of the vehicle fleet, development of green transport and utilization of old vehicles in Georgia. Nodar Tangiashvili, a public policy expert, and Irakli Danelia, an expert in the science of economics, spoke about the main priorities, goals and objectives of the reform.

The working meeting outlined future plans for the development of the Platform.

The Committee, together with partner organizations, with the participation of industry experts and key stakeholders, will develop a fleet renewal, eco-friendly transport promotion policy and concept, which will be presented to a wider audience for discussion