The draft law on State Property was discussed and approved in the third reading during the parliamentary session, receiving 74 votes in favor. Nino Tandilashvili, the Deputy Minister of Environment and Agriculture, provided further clarification on the content of the draft law.
According to Tandilashvili, the adoption of this legislation will enable the transfer of illegally harvested woody plants from state forests, protected areas, state-owned territories, and municipal territories (excluding privately owned areas) to the relevant forest management bodies, namely the National Forestry Agency, the Agency of Protected Areas of the State of Adjara, and the Forestry Agency of Adjara in the case of Adjara region. Additionally, the municipalities will also serve as forest management bodies.
This new regulation will provide forest management bodies with an additional source of wood resources, which can be utilized to partially meet the social needs of the population for wood resources. Consequently, it is expected to help reduce the extent of logging activities.
Furthermore, the adoption of this law requires amendments to be made to the Administrative Offenses and Criminal Procedure Codes of Georgia in order to align with the proposed changes.
