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European Project to develop Georgia's Mountain Tourism and Organic Agriculture signed on International Mountain Day

12.12.2018

Joint EU, Sweden and Austria project with budget of EUR 6.8 million will develop areas of Upper Svaneti, Racha-Lechkhumi and Lower Svaneti, and Imereti.

On International Mountain Day, in the setting of the Georgian Ethnographic museum, representatives of the EU, Sweden and Austrian signed a contract to start the "Green Economy: Sustainable Mountain Tourism & Organic Agriculture (GRETA)" project. 

The project focuses on the support of Georgian small and medium enterprises to professionalise and scale up. The action also aims at facilitating an improvement of the business environment and the creation of new income opportunities in the two growth sectors mountain tourism and organic agriculture. The project was developed in close cooperation the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture, the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development and the Georgian National Tourism Agency

The 4 year project will start in 2019 and is funded by the European Commission (EUR 3 million), Sweden (EUR 2.8 million) and the Austrian Development Cooperation (EUR 1 million). It will be implemented by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), managed by 9 staff who will be permanently based in Tbilisi and Mestia.

For mountain tourism the action foresees, among others, to establish a national quality standard and control system for local tourism service providers including certification of accommodation and travel / mountain guides based on developed standards, to enable national and international exchange, to implement capacity development for travel / mountain guides and accommodation owners as well as to establish a model mountain guest house for training purposes.

Regarding organic farming, the action foresees, among others, to harmonise Georgian organic legislation with EU organic legislation, to establish an internal control system, to enable capacity development for certification agencies and agro-advisory services, to strengthen farmer cooperatives intending to become organic farmers as well as to coordinate and support the promotion of advisory services to processors, suppliers and traders in the organic farming sector.

Ambassador of the European Union, Carl Hartzell, noted: "The EU believes in the great potential of Georgia's mountainous regions. This project will boost economic development and raise incomes in mountainous regions, while fully respecting and preserving their natural beauty and cultural heritage. I am grateful that two EU Member states, Sweden and Austria, with great experience in this field, have joined forces with us on this project to support Georgia“.

Ambassador of Sweden to Georgia and Armenia, Ulrik Tideström underlined: ”Sweden is proud to launch a joint partnership for sustainable development of Georgia’s mountainous regions, harvesting the rich potential of increasing tourism and organic agriculture. This promising project is part of Sweden’s large-scale support to Georgian reforms for EU integration, inclusive growth, gender equality and poverty reduction."

Austrian Ambassador, Arad Benkö emphasized: “With this project we have an extensive opportunity to learn from each other, and to further boost the increasing European interest in Georgia as a mountain tourism destination, but also as an exporter of organic produce in high demand nowadays”.

The project is part of a 49 million EU programme to support economic and business development in Georgia which was signed on 21 November at a high level meeting in Brussels. Under the agreement, the European Union and Georgia will work together to develop a better legal system for business, modernise financial services, and innovate business models.

 

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