This year’s ISET’s Summer School was composed of a series of lectures, talks by prominent speakers, and debates on the subject of reforms.

The relevance of the topics was further illustrated by visits to a number of related industrial and administrative projects. On the weekend of July 15-16, attendees toured the Adjara region, during which they examined the newly-built Shuakhevi Hydro Power Plant. It is operated by the Clean Energy Group, a Norwegian renewable energy developer, together with the Tata Indian Power Company. The plant constitutes the biggest joint-financing project and the largest hydropower plant to be constructed in recent times.

During their time in Adjara, the group also visited Sapri, a village close to the Turkish border, where the participants observed the effectiveness of all the local revenue service’s operations, procedures, and initiatives. For example, the RS offers 180 free e-services, and all taxes can be paid online while RS staff provides on-the-spot help to advise and fill in the blanks for those who are unable to do so due to old age or technological unfamiliarity. For those who live in remote mountain regions and do not have access to the internet, the RS tours the areas in special cars and mini-vans equipped with computers and all relevant documentation to help citizens pay their taxes on time.

Another highlight of the trip was a peek into the customs clearance zone at Gezi, which inspects and processes cargo upon arrival in Georgia. The participants were very impressed with the speed at which documents were handled (most cargo is checked immediately by efficient and friendly police officers, who are even kind enough to offer coffee to those waiting). Even cargo requiring personal inspection is released without delay.

No visit to Georgia would be complete without a visit to the beautiful city of Batumi, where the attendees experienced the hospitality of ISET’s partners firsthand, as His Excellency the Ambassador of Norway to Azerbaijan and Georgia, Mr. Bard Ivar Svendsen, treated the participants to a delicious lunch at the Hilton Hotel, proving that Georgians are not the only people capable of being gracious and generous hosts!