The document establishes institutional framework for enhancing the bilateral cooperation in order to improve the quality of the regulatory process

EWRC and the National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission of the Republic of Georgia signed a Cooperation Agreement. The document was signed by the EWRC Chairman Assoc. Prof. Ivan Ivanov and the Georgian national regulator’s member Maia Melikidze, who is on an official visit in EWRC.

The agreement between the Bulgarian and Georgian regulators creates a legal framework for enhancing the contacts at bilateral and multilateral level. Both sides will work to enhance the quality of regulatory activity and will interact in the implementation of European directives and regulations in the energy sector and water services regulation.

"The expansion of the international cooperation and interaction with regulators from other countries is a main priority for the current EWRC members. This can contribute to the exchange of good practices in regulatory activity and is particularly important for countries like Georgia, where the principles and directives of the EU in the energy area are about to be applied to the national legislation," said during the official meeting the EWRC Chairman Assoc. Prof. Ivan Ivanov. EWRC members Valentin Petkov, Dimitar Kochkov, Remzi Osman and Alexandar Yordanov also participated in the meeting. Assoc. Prof. Ivanov informed Maia Melikidze about the priorities of EWRC's work on financial stabilization of the energy sector, liberalization of the electricity market, diversification of natural gas supply and regulatory aspects of the water sector reform.

In turn, Maia Melikidze pointed out that cooperating with KEVR and familiarizing with the Bulgarian experience will contribute to the improvement of the regulatory activity of the Georgian regulator, especially in the field of renewable energy. "This is a new segment in the work of the National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission of the Republic of Georgia and Bulgarian expertise regarding RES will be of great importance to us," she said.

"The participation of Bulgaria and Georgia in the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation /BSEC/ creates broad opportunities for the development of cooperation between the two regulators on a multilateral basis," said EWRC member Remzi Osman. He stressed that the forthcoming establishment of an Energy and Water Regulatory Forum within BSEC is an important prerequisite for joining efforts to solve problems in the field of energy and water sector in the region.

"The deepening of the bilateral partnership is a lasting trend at European level that provides visible results. The two regulators have already established interaction within a number of international organizations, such as the European Water Regulators Network /WAREG/ in particular, which is an important prerequisite for intensifying the bilateral contacts in the regulatory action ", EWRC мember Valentin Petkov pointed out.