Current agreements on the liberalization of Georgia's trade regimes
Current agreements on the liberalization of trade regimes in Georgia
In terms of the number of free trade agreements in force, Georgia ranks among the most open economies in the region. Currently, Georgia has free trade agreements with 46 countries.
A key area of trade liberalization is the agreement with the European Union. The Association Agreement between Georgia and the EU, which includes the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area Agreement, was signed on June 27, 2014. The trade provisions of the agreement have been in effect since September 1, 2014, and the agreement entered into full force in July 2016. The free trade regime applies to the 27 member states of the European Union.
In addition, Georgia has a free trade regime with a number of CIS and post-Soviet states, including Belarus, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine. In trade with CIS countries, with the exception of Uzbekistan and the Russian Federation, the rules for determining the country of origin of goods, approved by the decision of the Council of Heads of State of the CIS on November 30, 2000, apply. In trade with Uzbekistan, the rules of origin for goods approved by the decision of the Council of Heads of State of the CIS on September 24, 1993, apply. In trade with the Russian Federation, the criteria defined by the Free Trade Agreement between Georgia and the Russian Federation apply.
Georgia also has a free trade agreement with the member states of the European Free Trade Association—Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland. The agreement was signed on June 27, 2016, and entered into force in stages: for Iceland and Norway, in September 2017; for Switzerland and Liechtenstein, on May 1, 2018.
Separate free trade agreements are in effect with Turkey, the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong—a special administrative region of the PRC—the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. The agreement with China was signed on May 13, 2017, and entered into force on January 1, 2018. The agreement with Hong Kong was signed on June 28, 2018, and entered into force on February 13, 2019. The Agreement on Strategic Partnership and Cooperation with the United Kingdom was signed on October 21, 2019. The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with the UAE was signed on October 10, 2023, and has been in effect since June 27, 2024.
