According to the 2015 report of the Public Defender (Ombudsman) of Georgie, the process of improving the tobacco control legislation has been procrastinated. National legislation falls short of international standards and there is a high level of inconsistency between effective legislation and existing practice.

To gain an overview of these issues, the Office of Public Defender of Georgia has prepared a special report, which discusses international standards in tobacco control and shortcomings of the national legislation, the degree of effectiveness of implementing tobacco control legislation by state entities, hazards posed by tobacco advertisement and consumption to youth, attitudes of Georgia’s population to smoke-free environment and other issues.

The report concludes that the current state of tobacco control legislation requires improvement and approximation with the WHO FCTC and directives of the European Parliament and of Council; regulations concerning the availability of tobacco products for youth need to be especially toughened. Moreover, the executive authority must fulfil restrictive provisions in the field of tobacco control in a regular rather than sporadic manner.

The Ombudsman recommends:

• To the Parliament of Georgia
  • to bring the legislation on tobacco control in line with the FCTC and WHO recommendations in the shortest possible time
• To the Government of Georgia
  • In accordance with the obligations assumed under the EU-Georgia Association Agreement and the WHO FCTC, to develop and approve a plan on the increase of taxes on tobacco products and raise taxes according to this plan
  • Do not treat the funding of business projects related to the production/cultivation of tobacco as a state priority

Download the full report below.