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 Mr. Clifford Isaak, Managing Director, PricewaterhouseCoopers
“We have seen increased interest in Georgia from investors. We believe in the potential of Georgia to develop its economy, attract foreign investment and strengthen its public institutions. The services of PricewaterhouseCoopers will give businesses an opportunity to work with skilled professionals and improve their financial reporting and business performance. We are looking forward to the future growth of our business in Georgia.†U.S.-Georgia Business Summit and Trade Mission to Georgia On September 8-9, 2010, the U.S. Department of Commerce will host a Business Summit to promote new trade and investment relationships between U.S. and Georgian companies. In conjunction with the Summit, the American Chamber of Commerce in Georgia is organizing a Trade Mission, certified by the U.S. Department of Commerce, for U.S. companies interested in the Georgian market.In July 2010, CLDP held workshops, sector-specific meetings, and site visits in Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Batumi for relevant government officials, trade association representatives, and private sector producers on how to expand Georgia’s exports under the GSP program and how to satisfy U.S. import standards and regulations. CLDP coordinated this project with the U.S. Embassy in Georgia, the Georgian Ministry of Economic Development (National Investment Agency), the Georgian Ministry of Agriculture, the Georgian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the American Chamber of Commerce in Georgia, USAID, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The faculty for the program included a representative from USTR, FDA, USDA/APHIS, TTB, CBP, and the U.S. Department of Commerce. Third U.S. Department Of Agriculture Trade And Investment Mission to Georgia TBSC Consulting, together with the American Chamber of Commerce in Georgia (AmCham Georgia), is organizing the USDA Trade & Investment Mission (July 12-15, 2010). The goal is to help US companies find local counterparts (partners, clients, vendors, etc) in Georgia. 11 American companies operating in the agricultural sector will visit Georgia to meet with local businesses and learn about opportunities in the country. You can see the summary profiles of U.S. TIM delegates. For more information please contact TBSC Consulting or AmCham Offices. You can also download the press release for USDA TIM 2010. Up-to-date information about USDA's activities related to promoting agricultural trade and investment can also be found at USDA Foreign Agricultural Service website. Workshops on U.S. Import Standards for GSP-Eligible Products resumed Due to the Icelandic volcano that disrupted travel to Georgia from the US and from Europe from April 16-19, 2001, DoC Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP) was forced to postpone the series of workshops planned for Tbilisi, Kutaisi, and Batumi, Georgia from April 19-23, 2010.
In July 2010, CLDP will hold workshops, sector-specific meetings, and site visits in Tbilisi (July 21-22), Kutaisi (July 23) and Batumi (July 26) for relevant government officials, trade association representatives, and private sector producers on how to expand Georgia’s exports under the GSP program and how to satisfy U.S. import standards and regulations.
For more information or to register for the workshops, please contact Kate Sidamonidze at the AmCham office. Important note: Participants who have already registered for the April seminars postponed due to the recent volcano eruption, do not need to re-register. In an effort to reduce transportation costs to Afghanistan, the U.S. Government has announced a new initiative to purchase supplies in Georgia. On May 15 USTRANSCOM conducted an informative seminar that aimed to help the participants learn how their companies can participate in this initiative. Time was also available for one-on-one discussions with purchasing agents. Producers operating in the following fields are eligible to become suppliers for the given mission:
This workshop was intended for medium to large manufacturers, suppliers and distributors who have experience with international trade and export of the above mentioned types of goods and supplies. Please note that quality standards and other regulations are required to become a supplier. These regulations and quality standards were discussed during the first part of the workshop where the Prime Contractors presented their supply needs and operating standards. 100 persons from over 60 companies operating in Georgia attended the seminar. Georgian Winemaking Companies Expect 2010 to Record Rise in Sales Global sales of Georgian wine have been rising steadily this year with first quarter returns showing the export market has climbed by 60 percent. Winemakers say this trend shows that the country's wineries have weathered the storm of the economic crisis.LEPL Data Exchange Agency presentation The Data Exchange Agency DEA, launched in January 2010, held an official presentation of the agency’s goals and objectives at the Tbilisi Marriott Hotel on April 1, 2010. DEA aims to coordinate e-governance issues in Georgia, to create data exchange infrastructure and to develop and implement policies related to information security. Please see the presentation about the goals and objectives of DEA presented by Irakli Gvenetadze, Chairman of the LEPL Data Exchange Agency under the Ministry of Justice of Georgia. Also available: presentation on Universal Triangle of E-governance made by Giorgi Vashadze, Deputy Minister of Justice of Georgia. Workshops on U.S. Import Standards for GSP-Eligible Products During the week of April 19, 2010, in cooperation with the U.S. Embassy in Georgia, the Georgian Ministry of Agriculture, the Georgian Ministry of Economic Development/National Investment Agency, the Georgian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the American Chamber of Commerce in Georgia, USAID, USTR, USFDA and USDA/APHIS, CLDP will hold workshops, sector-specific meetings, and site visits in Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Batumi for relevant government officials, trade association representatives, and private sector producers on how to expand Georgia’s exports under the GSP program and how to satisfy U.S. import standards and regulations. The American Chamber of Commerce in Georgia is selecting and managing all of the program participants. Please click here to download the Nomination Form in Georgian and English or contact Kate Sidamonidze at the AmCham office for more information. Golden Brand Awards 2009 Ceremony  On March 9, 2010 Global Idea and newspaper FINANCIAL, with support from the Georgian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the American Chamber of Commerce in Georgia held the 5th yearly Golden Brand 2009 awards ceremony revealing the best brands of the past year. The event was held at the Radisson Blue Iveria Hotel. The main aim of Golden Brand Award has always been to promote and popularize branding activities of Georgian and foreign companies operating in Georgia.
GVINADZE & PARTNERS LAW FIRM LAUNCHED
Information Resource Center Newsletter Information & Communication: Information Technology, E-Government and E-Commerce - January 2010 Newsletter from the Information Resource Center - an excellent resource of articles, research, statements and other information. Click here to see the Newsletter. RAKIA Georgia Free Industrial Zone LLC RAKIA GEORGIA FIZ LLC has established the FIRST free industrial zone in the Caucasus region at Poti in Georgia. The company was created in June 2008 by RAK Investment Authority (RAKIA), a government of Ras Al Khaimah, U.A.E. nodal agency. RAKIA GEORGIA FIZ is 100% subsidiary of RAKIA. StatoilHydro becomes STATOIL and gets a new logo Norwegian-based oil and gas companies Statoil and Norsk Hydro merged two years ago, forming StatoilHydro. EUROCHAMBRES’ International Trade & Customs Academy Forum 2010 The next edition of the EUROCHAMBRES’ International Trade & Customs Academy Forum 2010 will take place on January 24th–27th, 2010 at the "Ferme de La Raméeâ€Â, a beautiful training centre located in the heart of Belgium, just 40km from Brussels. A key element in Norwegian alcohol policy has been to remove the private profit motive from sales of wine, spirits and strong beer. As a result, VINMONOPOLET that was founded in 1922 is wholly owned by the state, subordinated to the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs. Georgia - The 26th Freest economies in the world In January 20, 2010, the Heritage Foundation published "2010 Index of Economic Freedomâ€Â, where Georgia ranks the 26th freest economies in the world, up from 32nd position in 2009. Georgia’s economic freedom score is 70.4 out of 100, 0.6 point higher than the last year. Georgia is ranked 14th out of 43 countries in the Europe Region and its overall score is higher than the world average. Estonia is the only Post Soviet country of the rating, which is ahead of Georgia and ranks 16th place.Bank of Georgia and American Express launch two American Express Cards Issued in Georgia JSC Bank of Georgia (LSE: BGEO; GSE: GEB) (the "Bankâ€Â), Georgia’s leading bank announced today the launch of the American Express Card and the American Express Gold Card (the "Cardsâ€Â) issued in Georgia. Bank of Georgia is an exclusive partner of American Express for Credit Card Acquiring and Issuing in Georgia as per agreement signed in December 2008. JSC Bank of Georgia receives the Bank of the Year Award by The Banker JSC Bank of Georgia (LSE: BGEO) (the "Bankâ€Â), Georgia’s leading universal bank announced today that it has received The Bank of the Year 2009 award by The Banker. The award, introduced in 2000, is given to the leading commercial and investment banks worldwide in recognition of their achievements. Eurasia Partnership Foundation (EPF), through its European Integration program, is conducting a series of roundtables to facilitate the creation of the appropriate conditions and policies for launching negotiations on a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) with the EU as part of the new Eastern Partnership initiative. The third consecutive roundtable on DCFTA with EU: Food Safety/SPS Measures was held on December 14th 2009 at the Sheraton Metechi Palace, Tbilisi, Georgia. EU-Georgia Visa Facilitation and Readmission Agreements are initiated EU-Georgia Visa Facilitation and Readmission Agreements were initiated in Brussels on November 25th 2009. The documents were initiated by the Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia Mr. David Jalagania and the Deputy Director General of the European Commission's Directorate General for Justice, Freedom and Security Mr. Jean Louis de Broewer. EUGBC position paper submitted to the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum The Eastern Partnership Summit held in Prague on May 7th confirmed the European Commission proposal from December 2008 to establish the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (EaP CSF) to promote contacts among Civil Society Organizations and facilitate their dialogue with public authorities in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The first EaP CSF meeting took place on November 16th-17th 2009 in Brussels. The Government of Georgia’s Liberty Act On November 6th 2009 the Government of Georgia made public the drafts of the Constitutional Amendments and the Constitutional Law on Liberty, Opportunity and Dignity (together referred as the Liberty Act). The Liberty Act is the result of the President’s initiative unveiled in his address to Parliament on October 6, 2009 and aims to constitutionally enshrine the key economic policies Georgia has successfully pursued since the Rose Revolution. Ministry of Finance was awarded three prizes at the GITI Awards 2009 Second regional Georgia IT Innovation Conference was held in Sheraton Metechi Palace Hotel on October 29-30, 2009. The event was organized by the Georgia ICT Business Council and the State Commission of e-Governance Development of Georgia, with the support of USAID Georgia and the RCI Project. More than 250 participants from twelve countries participated in the two-day conference aimed at sharing IT best practices in public and private sectors. 10th Meeting of EU-Georgia Cooperation Council was held in Luxembourg on October 26th, 2009 The Cooperation Council between the European Union (EU) and Georgia held its tenth Meeting in Luxemburg on October 26, 2009. The Georgian delegation was headed by Grigol Vashadze, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia and the European delegation was headed by Karl Bildt, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, which holds the current presidency of the EU. On Friday, October 23, 2009 Eurasia Partnership Foundation (EPF) commenced its second round of public discussions on European Integration. Through its European Integration program, EPF conducts roundtable discussions to promote the wider participation of Georgian society in the process of committing towards common European values. The Government of Georgia announced the beginning of the new wave of privatization in response to the economic rebound and to reflect interests of investors. Click here for more information.On October 12, 2009 the newly appointed Minister for Economic Development, Zurab Pololikashvili gave a reception to meet and introduce with the business community in Georgia. The Ministry of Economic Development of Georgia started working out a new strategy for the development of Georgian economy, and with this intention Minister Pololikashvili held a meeting with Georgian businessmen. AmCham-EUGBC SME Committee established On October 9, 2009 a special inter-organizational AmCham-EUGBC SME committee was formed. The Committee members include EUGBC, AmCham, civil movement "Solidarityâ€Â, Business and Economic Center, International Association of Business and Parliament, UNDP, TBC Bank, Bank of Georgia, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), independent economists and financial institutions. The partners of the Committee are Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and Eurasia Partnership Foundation. Kakha Kokhreidze from the civil movement "Solidarity†is appointed as Executive Secretary of the committee. EU starts negotiations on a Common Aviation Area Agreement with Georgia On October 6th-7th 2009 European Commission held the first round of negotiations on Comprehensive Aviation Agreement with Georgia in Tbilisi. America-Georgia Business Council's 12th Annual Conference America-Georgia Business Council's 12th Annual Conference Georgian Adventure: Where Business Meets Opportunity will be held on October 15 at Tbilisi Marriott Hotel (13 Rustaveli Ave., Tbilisi, Georgia). Please click here to download the application form."GAZ ENERGY" (GEORGIA) IN SEARCH FOR PARTNERS The company "GasEenrgy†is engaged in distribution of liquid and natural gas. Supplies are conducted form Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. Loading capacity of the reservoir stock is 25% by the present moment. A remaining part of reservoirs stands idle and several high-capacity terminals may be formed form them for liquid gas in any other place. As there are railway lines brought to the territories owned by the company "GasEnergyâ€Â, there may be formed freight terminals, different productions, industrial stocks, etc. "GasEnergy†is ready to cooperate both with producers and distributors of gas and other interested persons.
Golden Brand Awards
Pocket Tax Book published by Ministry of Finance With assistance from the European Union and Ernst & Young LLC, a Georgia Pocket Tax Book was launched at a Media Event by Mr. Kakha Baindurashvili, Minister of Finance and Ambassador Per Eklund, Head of Delegation of the European Commission to Georgia. With the EU support, Ernst & Young and the Revenue Service have developed this easy to read introduction to the tax laws of Georgia to support decisions of foreign business to invest in Georgia. The information it contains is based on taxation law and practice in force as of December 2008 and covers all the main aspects of the tax system in Georgia. Please click here to see the electronic version of the Pocket Tax Book. AmCham members meet Prime Minister and Minister of Finance AmCham members had an exclusive meeting with Prime Minister Grigol Mgaloblishvili and Finance Minister Nika Gilauri to discuss the government’s position on the global financial crisis and the amendments to the tax and customs code. Prime Minister Mgaloblishvili promised members that the government is doing everything possible to make sure the business climate stays competitive and attractive – including the reduction of taxes and a special commission to oversee the allocation of aid money. Click here to view presentation of the upcoming changes to tax code - outline of major changes European Neighbourhood Policy AND GEORGIA From the publishers The monthly bulletin “European Neighbourhood Policy and Georgia†is a joint initiative of Open Society - Georgia Foundation, Eurasia Partnership Foundation and a group of NGOs. The main objective of the bulletin is to provide latest and significant information about the development of Europe-Georgia relations and the preparation of the Georgian Action Plan in the framework of the ENP. The bulletin is supposed to help Georgian NGOs monitor the implementation of the Georgian Action Plan and make their voice heard about the development of Europe-Georgia relations. The editorial board of the bulletin welcomes contributions from the readers about the development of the Europe-Georgia cooperation and their requests for publishing specific research papers or political documents in the bulletin. Georgian NGOs are welcome to publish results of their research and analysis of the Europe-Georgia relations and the implementation of the Action Plan. Please click here for the full bulletin. A new Client Alert concerning recent developments pertaining to the global credit crisis THE GLOBAL CREDIT CRISIS AND THE GLOBAL RESPONSE Coordinated International Response: European Developments Since the date of our last update, the United States, as well as a multitude of nations in Europe and Asia, has acted to implement programs designed to restore confidence in the banking systems of the global economy. The Group of 7 and the Group of 20, along with senior representatives of key countries in the European Union, have met to establish a coordinated effort by the principal central banks and governments in the affected economies to bolster the solvency of their significant constituent international banks. The programs and proposals, in the main, have three common elements: (1) investment in the affected banks; (2) support and facilitation of inter-bank lending; and (3) guarantee of banking deposits. Doing Business 2009 - World Bank report Doing Business 2009 is the sixth in a series of annual reports comparing business regulations in 181 countries. This year’s report covers 10 indicator sets in 181 economies. The main goal of the report is to provide an objective basis for understanding and improving the regulatory environment for business. click here to open the summary of the report or here if you want to see Georgia's ranking. 
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© American Chamber of Commerce in Georgia, 2005-2007 Developed by ITDC 
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Information on this webiste is subject to change without prior notice. Although every reasonable effort is made to present current and accurate information, the American Chamber of Commerce in Georgia makes no guarantees of any kind and reccomends professional advice be sought before making any business or investment decisions. |
Nick Gvinadze, formerly a partner with DLA Piper Gvinadze & Partners LP, has re-launched his legal practice separately as Gvinadze & Partners LLC. This leading Georgian business law firm will aim to support further growth and investment in Georgia by providing global quality legal services, at local cost.
On March 6 Global Idea and newspaper FINANCIAL, with support from the Georgian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the American Chamber of Commerce in Georgia held a yearly Golden Brand 2008 awards ceremony revealing the best brands of 2008. The main aim of Golden Brand Award has always been to promote and popularize branding activities of Georgian and foreign companies operating in Georgia. 
