28
February
2020
Since the Uruguay Round of the World Trade Organization (WTO), which introduced agriculture to the GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) negotiation table, there has been increasing policy interest and academic debate on food safety regulations and their effect on the agri-food trade. During the Uruguay Round, WTO members negotiated the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards (SPSs) in the “SPS Agreement” and the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) agreements, which share common principles and rules with all member countries (Mayeda, 2004).
28
February
2020
GeoStat has published its rapid estimate of real GDP growth for the fourth quarter of 2019. Their estimated growth stands at 5.3%, which is 0.7 percentage points above ISET-PI’s most recent forecast. The annual real GDP growth for 2019 amounted to 5.2%. The real GDP growth rate reached 5.1% year-on-year for January 2020.
27
February
2020
In January 2020, Georgian power plants generated 1,031 mln. kWh of electricity. This represents a 2% increase in total generation, compared to the previous year (in January 2019, the total generation was 1,011 mln. kWh). The increase in generation on a yearly basis comes from the increase of 37% in thermal and 36% in wind power generation, more than offsetting the decrease in hydro power generation (-22%).
26
February
2020
ISET Policy InstituteI’s communication has been recognized as a critical element for its success and effectiveness and has been a major part of its activities. However, it has not been grounded in a specific communication strategy.
25
February
2020
A nationally representative sample of around 350 Georgians, interviewed in early January 2020, reveals that the Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) remained nearly the same, deteriorating by 0.4 index points (from -20 in December to -20.4 in January). Yet, as we observed in December 2019, Georgian Consumer Confidence improved by 1.8 index points.
