Issue no: 1207 • NOV 29 - DEC 2, 2019 • PUBLISHED TWICE WEEKLY PRICE: GEL 2.50 In this week’s issue... Risks of Draft Amendments to FOCUS Law on Information Security ON THE COE NEWS PAGE 3 PRESIDENCY Economic Policy Research The Presidency of the Council Center Celebrates 17 Years of Europe Committee of Ministers this week passed POLITICS PAGE 4 from France to Georgia PAGE 2 The US & the Black Sea: A Troublesome Year Ahead POLITICS PAGE 4 The Streetwise Political Dictate POLITICS PAGE 6 38% of FDIs Attracted by Georgia in 2010-2018 Come from Offshore Countries BUSINESS PAGE 7 Opposition Vows the Protests Will Stop If Gov't Two Decades in Georgia Agrees to German Model of Elections SOCIETY PAGE 8 Venue of the Week: Skola BY ANA DUMDADZE Coffee & Wine Bar SOCIETY PAGE 9 espite the fact that representatives of opposition and civil activists continue demonstrations in front of the parliament building in Geor- ‘Batumi in Cinema’: a gia’s capital Tbilisi, the government Dhas said it does not intend to change its position Retraining Program for the on replacing a mixed electoral system with a proportional one for the 2020 elections. City Guides Begins "The topic is closed. A mixed electoral system will be kept in 2020," Kakha Kaladze, the ruling CULTURE PAGE 11 Image source: France24 party's Secretary-General, said in a statement made at the Georgian Dream headquarters. opposition. Secondly, it is clear to all that, given parliamentary elections or the 2021 local self- He emphasized that members of the ruling the moods of the parliamentary majority, there government elections. Ending Violence team had expressed their attitude towards this are no resources available to mobilize 113 votes “There is a group of majoritarian MPs in the issue publicly several times. around any new constitutional changes at pre- parliamentary majority which is proposing to Against Women “However, since there is still political specula- sent. The topic is closed - in 2020 a mixed elec- move to a fully majoritarian system. We told tion around this topic, I would like to share our toral system will be kept, which fully complies them that the team would not consider any new CULTURE PAGE 11 position with the public again in a few words: with democratic principles, therefore the politi- initiatives for the 2020 elections. However, we First, the transition to a proportional electoral cal spectrum should devote all its efforts to pre- understand their general initiative and we agreed system in 2020 was a political initiative of the paring for the elections and holding the elections that they will continue to work in this direction, Georgian Dream. Despite the efforts of the team in accordance with high democratic standards," provided that a plebiscite will be held on the Special Offer for readers leadership, unfortunately, the bill did not receive he noted. issue of the electoral system on the day of either adequate support. This result, along with the Kaladze also noted that the Georgian Dream the 2020 parliamentary elections or the 2021 of Georgia Today natural resistance of the majoritarian MPs, also is ready to hold a plebiscite on the issue of the local self-government elections,” he said. led to the irresponsible actions of the destructive electoral system on the day of either the 2020 Continued on page 3 -15% off all Diet Plans! PAGE 7 GEORGIA TODAY 2 NEWS NOVEMBER 29 - DECEMBER 2, 2019 Georgia Takes on Council of Europe Chairmanship “In the capacity of the Presidency offers Committee of Ministers of the Council The Georgian PM also commented on for many years, we will not step aside BY BEKA ALEXISHVILI a unique opportunity to contribute to of Europe today, Georgia makes an Georgia's attaining the CoE presidency. from the path as it is the choice of our the 3 pillars of t/Organization: democ- extraordinary voluntary fi nancial con- “Now we have the opportunity to take people. We confi rm the irreversibility racy, human rights&rule of law. This is tribution of 500 K. A large part goes to part in making an agenda and raise issues of the choice on a daily basis, even now, eorgian Foreign Minister both – challenging & encouraging at the fi ghting violence against women #VAW. with our European colleagues we believe during the current developments in the David Zalkaliani has same time. Glad to underline that Geor- Thank you Georgia,” the CoE Spokes- are crucial for our country,” Gakharia country when the state government fully received the emblematic gia & @CoE has been interlinked by 20 person Daniel Holtgen reported. said. ensures the freedom of expression [of keys to commence the offi - yrs collaboration” The FM Zalkaliani This year marks the 20th anniversary He further stated that Georgia stands demonstrators in Tbilisi],” Gakharia said. cial assumption of the wrote on twitter. of Georgia's CoE membership. Accord- fi rm on its European choice, which is The Council of Europe is the conti- GPresidency of the Council of Europe Minister Zalkaliani, the new Chair of ing to the CoE standards, the chair "acts the choice of the Georgian people. nent's leading human rights organization. (CoE) from the Committee of Ministers the Committee of Ministers, proposed in a neutral way and ensures that the “We have confi rmed our commitment It is comprised of 47-member states, 28 in Strasburg. The presidency passed the priorities of the Georgian Presidency, rules and guidelines are respected”. The to making a democratic state and strength- of which are members of the European from France to Georgia at a session at which will continue for the next six position must further “guide the discus- ening democratic institutions. Even Union. Georgia has been a member of the organization’s Strasbourg headquar- months. sions, puts proposals to the vote and though the path [to Europe] is not easy the Council of Europe since April 27, ters. “Taking over the Presidency of the announce decisions”. and we have to be in a reform regime 1999. Eco-Corridors Fund for the Caucasus Holds Final Meeting of Regional Consultative Forum conservation agreements between the BY NINI DAKHUNDARIDZE WWF and local communities in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. The steps taken secure community-based conservation co-Corridors Fund for the on 75,000 hectares of landscape. Caucasus (ECF) held their Presentations were followed by a facil- fi nal meeting of the Regional itated panel discussion involving repre- Consultative Forum in Tbilisi sentatives of participating local com- at the Hotel Moxy on Novem- munities and independent experts. The Eber 26, the event marking the fi nal formal discussion focused on the lessons learned gathering of the program. The meeting through the program related to oppor- summed up and evaluated the successes tunities for community conservation of of the start-up phase. biodiversity and opportunities for sus- The ECF unites four countries and the tainable socio-economic development meeting was attended by representatives of rural communities of the Caucasus from the German Federal Ministry for based on nature conservation and sus- Economic Cooperation and Develop- tainable use of resources. ment (BMZ), KfW German Development The meeting only closed some doors Bank and World Wide Fund for Nature to open others, as while the 26 Novem- (WWF) Caucasus, as well as govern- ber gathering concluded the beginning mental delegates from Armenia, Azer- phase of the project, it also marked the baijan and Georgia. commencement of the implementation The meeting provided an overview of phase. Image source: Nika Tsiklauri - EcoFilms.ge the ECF’s actions that have led to 19 Continued on page 8 GEORGIA TODAY NOVEMBER 29 - DECEMBER 2, 2019 NEWS 3 Risks of Draft Amendments to Law on Information Security dom of Information (IDFI) has said it BY TEA MARIAMIDZE feels the suggested changes will further complicate the cybersecurity manage- ment process, and will fail to provide arly last month, draft amend- precise roles and functions for the rel- ments to the Law on Informa- evant structural divisions of the Ministry tion Security were initiated of Defense and the Ministry of Internal by the Parliament of Georgia, Affairs. which might contain a num- The organization says that according to Eber of signifi cant threats. the draft law, DEA, a LEPL of the Ministry The proposed amendments fundamen- of Justice, will be responsible for exercis- tally change the current cybersecurity ing its power in coordination with the system in Georgia. According to the draft, LEPL of the State Security Service- OTA. LEPL Operational-Technical Agency “Despite the fact that these two agen- (OTA) of the State Security Service is cies will issue orders and other bylaws to become the main coordinating and regulating information security, under supervisory body of information and the new arrangements, DEA will not cybersecurity. The Agency will be enti- have a supervisory mandate on the pub- tled to cover the critical infrastructure lic sector and this function will be trans- Image source: 3i-infotech.com of both public and private entities. A ferred to OTA. At the same time, DEA “Modern information and commu- NGO claims that the most problematic ments will result in the imposition of further agency will be added to the gov- will be in charge of monitoring the nication technologies can be confi g- aspect in that regard is the extent of tier administrative fi nes of up to GEL 5000. ernance pillar of cybersecurity, which standards of information security within ured in a way that enables the collec- 2, covering private electronic commu- Such an approach per se is contradictory will be authorized to supervise relevant the private sector only through close tion of relatively vast categories of nication companies.