DECISION No 1/2022 OF THE EU-GEORGIA ASSOCIATION COUNCIL

of 8 June 2022

on the granting of reciprocal market access for supplies for central government authorities in accordance with Annex XVI-B to the Association Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and Georgia, of the other part [2022/1287]

THE ASSOCIATION COUNCIL,

Having regard to the Association Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and Georgia, of the other part, and in particular Articles 146 and 406 and Article 419(5) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

The Association Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and Georgia, of the other part (the ‘Agreement’) was signed on 27 June 2014 and entered into force on 1 July 2016.

(2)

The Preamble to the Agreement recognises the commitment of Georgia to progressively approximating its legislation in the relevant sectors with that of the Union, in accordance with the Agreement and to implementing it effectively, thus contributing to providing the benefits of closer political association and economic integration of Georgia with the Union to all citizens of Georgia including the communities divided by conflict.

(3)

In accordance with Article 147 of the Agreement, the Parties to the Agreement agree that the effective and reciprocal opening of their respective markets is to be attained gradually and simultaneously.

(4)

Pursuant to Article 146 of the Agreement, Georgia is to ensure that its legislation on public procurement is gradually approximated to the Union’s public procurement acquis , and that approximation to the Union acquis is carried out in consecutive phases as set out in the schedule in Annex XVI-B to the Agreement. In accordance with Decision No 2/2021 of the Association Committee in Trade configuration of 8 October 2021, the Association Committee in Trade configuration has given a positive assessment regarding the completion by Georgia of Phase 1 as set out in Annex XVI-B to the Agreement

(5)

In accordance with Article 419(5) of the Agreement, the Association Council, pursuant to the powers conferred to it by Articles 406 and 408 of the Agreement, should decide on further market opening where provided for in Title IV (Trade and Trade-related Matters) of the Agreement,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

Reciprocal market access is hereby granted for public procurement of supplies by central government authorities in the European Union to Georgia and for public procurement of supplies by Georgian central government authorities to the European Union in the territories specified in Article 429 of the Agreement.

Article 2

This decision has been established in the Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish and Georgian languages, each text being equally authentic.

Article 3

This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.

Done at Brussels, 8 June 2022.

For the Association Council

The President

I. GARIBASHVILI