or the past two years, Georgia has faced persistent political instability, driven by various legislative and electoral actions of the ruling party, ultimately resulting in a profound political crisis that has undermined the domestic and international legitimacy of the ruling party.

This is a working note outlining the initial processes behind the SME Test Methodology. It is a notable deliverable part of the Developing an RIA SME Test Methodology for Georgia, while strengthening the capacity of the Government of Georgia to utilize SME RIA tools in practice Project, as funded by the UNDP and led by ISET Policy Institute.

The underrepresentation of women in entrepreneurship in Georgia is a significant problem that disproportionately affects women’s ability to start and to sustain businesses. Despite legislative efforts and economic strategies intended to enhance the business environment, women face considerable challenges, such as limited access to finance, which hamper their ability to start and grow businesses.

The goal of this study is to provide the UNDP Inclusive Access to Markets (IA2M) project with the selection of at least six sectors/subsectors in the Georgian economy where small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have established or potential opportunities for exporting to the European Union (EU) and European countries.