Note: ReforMeter has conducted the RIA Institutionalization reform assessment three times: Phase I – March 2023, Phase II – November 2023, and Phase III – April 2024.

Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) is a process of evidence-based policymaking, which helps in designing better regulations. This process creates evidence for political decision-makers on the advantages and disadvantages of proposed policies by assessing their potential impacts. The results are summarized and presented in the Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) report.

Therefore, the RIA Institutionalization Reform aims to incorporate this mechanism into the practice of policy planning, design, and implementation in Georgia. Institutionalization implies making the RIA mechanism a part of the everyday routine of policymaking at all levels, including ministries, agencies, and parliamentary committees. Additionally, institutionalization implies establishing procedures, rules, and a set of logical steps to be followed while preparing policy proposals.

Georgian legislation already contains provisions pertaining to the RIA and its methodology. Ordinance No. 35 of the Government of Georgia of 2020 “On the Approval of Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) Methodology (hereinafter “RIA Methodology”)" establishes the criteria for reasonable regulation and the obligations relating to the RIA assessment's substance and procedures. Given the high inflow of draft normative acts in Georgia and the current limited capacity and resources, this methodology exclusively introduces an obligation to conduct RIAs on pre-defined amendments made to twenty laws that the government has designated as having the potential to substantially affect society and the economy.

The resolution indicated above is the primary component of the legal framework for RIA institutionalization reform. The reform also involves capacity building, institutional setup, and infrastructural components, which are covered in depth in the relevant sections below.