To protect the interests of investors, the Georgian National  Investment Agency (GNIA)  has moved under  subjection of  Prime Minister. This is the second agency after a business ombudsman’s office, which goes to the jurisdiction of the head of the government in order to more effectively protect the interests of investors.

It is expected that the Agency will perform the role of mediator between the government and business in order to inform the executive power on the problems the investors have without unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles.

However, the business ombudsman is endowed with the same functions, who in turn, is the Chairman of the Economic Council of Prime Minister.

Simultaneously, it is planned  to create   Tax  Ombudsman’s Institution at the  Revenue  Service. Many experts believe that in this case we will deal with  a duplication of functions.

In general, the opposition and experts  criticize  the government  that it is trying to solve all the problems by  creating  numerous councils and commissions, which in reality only interfere and create additional barriers.

Will the Investment Agency duplicate the functions of the Business Ombudsman’s Office?

Head of the Investment Agency George Pertaia states that there will be some overlap, but in general departments will have various functions.

"The Investment Agency is involved in all processes related to investing, and if there is any problem, we do not need to delve into it for a long time, since we are informed about all affairs from the beginning. Accordingly, we have the opportunity to raise  problematic questions directly to the government, without unnecessary intermediaries that  allow investors to  save their time. In this situation, the Business Ombudsman’s Office  will spend  at least a month to study the issue and adopt the right attitude. This is important because even a small mistake by  the ombudsman can undermine the investor confidence in this institution, not to mention the fact that because of this, the government can make the wrong decision. The Ombudsman should carefully consider the issue as  not only business depends on his decision, but also the interests of the state, which also cannot be ignored, "- Pertaia notes.

However, he does  not rule out cooperation of  the Ombudsman’s Institution with  the Investment Agency.

The Investment Agency has moved under  subjection of  Prime Minister in order to maximally simplify a contact between the  investors and the government.

"We have a lot of investors from Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, India, Arab countries, etc. For them, it is very important who is speaking to them, on whose behalf and with what powers. As a rule, they do not have much interest in talking with the agency, which is even lower than some ministries.  Quite another matter when  it is  a structure directly speaking on behalf of the head of government. In addition, we often hear about the problems investors  face because of the bureaucracy, slow decision-making, etc. In this situation it is much better to have the most rapid and unimpeded access to the head of government to solve these  problems much more quickly, "- the head of the Investment Agency beleives.

According to the expert Emzar Jgerenaia, it is not easy for business to communicate with the authorities, so additional agencies are  created to facilitate these contacts.

"The government is uploaded, there are many business companies, and each has its own problem. Meet, discuss the issue and prepare a solution - it's all very difficult. That is why we need people who will deal with these issues. Unfortunately, at this stage the business is still largely dependent on the government due to various bureaucratic procedures. That is why our  aim is to bring closer  business and government, "- says the expert.

In his words, the structures subordinate to the Prime Minister  are likely to deal with the problems of big business, while the Ombudsman’s Office at the Revenue Service - mainly with small and medium business.

Source:commersant.ge