Georgia overhauls parliamentary rules, launches new legislative era

New parliamentary regulations have officially come into effect in Georgia, introducing a range of changes aimed at enhancing legislative procedures, strengthening government accountability, and updating the structure of parliamentary committees.

Georgian media outlets report that the newly implemented regulations govern the internal operations of the Georgian Parliament, including how laws are passed, how citizens' initiatives are handled, and how the government is held to account by the legislature, per Caliber.Az.

Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili described the updated procedures as a natural part of legislative evolution:

“Starting today, the Georgian parliament will operate under new rules of procedure. The rules of procedure of the parliament are a living document. The rule is that the new parliament adopts new rules of procedure, which is one of the manifestations of parliamentary sovereignty,” he stated.

Under the revised framework, the Georgian Parliament will now operate with 16 standing committees, each tasked with overseeing specific sectors:

• Committee on Human Rights and Civic Integration

• Committee on Education, Science, and Sports

• Committee on Environmental Protection and Natural Resources

• Committee on Economic Policy

• Committee on Diaspora

• Committee on European Integration

• Committee on Defence and Security

• Legal Committee

• Committee on Culture

• Committee on Regional Policy and Local Government

• Committee on Foreign Relations

• Committee on Procedural Issues

• Finance and Budget Committee

• Agriculture Committee

• Sports Committee

• Health and Social Affairs Committee

Each committee has been granted autonomy in setting its agenda and determining how frequently it meets, though regulations stipulate a minimum of one meeting per month.

By Tamilla Hasanova