The News in Brief

Parliamentary Commission Proposes New Market Oversight Mechanism

The Georgian Dream-led Parliamentary Price Regulation Commission says a new institutional mechanism is needed to improve market monitoring, transparency, and competition, according to its latest conclusion.

The commission is considering two options: creating an independent sectoral regulator or expanding the role of an existing body such as the Competition and Consumer Protection Agency.

"Within the institutional framework, it will be possible to identify and categorize large market players. including those entities that have excessive market power," the commission said, noting this could be based on criteria such as turnover or retail scale.

It added that such an approach would allow regulators to apply "targeted tools to solve specific problems, rather than a single, general approach to the entire sector."



Church Locum Tenens Meets Foreign Minister Ahead of Patriarch Election

Patriarchal Locum Tenens Shio Mujiri met Georgian Dream Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili on May 1, the Patriarchate said.

According to the statement, the sides discussed upcoming meetings with Georgian diaspora communities abroad and events marking the 1,700th anniversary of Christianity becoming the state religion in Georgia.

The meeting at the Patriarchate was also attended by Georgian Dream Deputy Foreign Ministers Giorgi Zurabashvili and Khatuna Totladze, as well as Metropolitan Daniel (Datuashvili) and Patriarchate spokesperson Andria Jaghmaidze.

This follows shortly before the election of a new patriarch following the death of Ilia II on March 17. The Holy Synod is expected to elect a successor by May 17, with Shio Mujiri among the shortlisted candidates.