LATEST ALERTS
22nd July 2024
- Georgia: The amendment to the tobacco legal framework to introduce licences for tobacco production has been supported by the parliamentary Health Protection and Social Affairs Committee in its second reading, media reports.
17th July 2024
- Georgia: The parliament has started the process of considering changes to the tobacco legal framework to introduce licences for tobacco production, media reports. The licence fee would be GEL50,000 (€17,000).
27th June 2024
- Georgia: Parliament has adopted the amendment to the Law on Tobacco Control in the first reading, press reports. The amendment would postpone the regulation of standard plain packaging for tobacco products until 1st October 2024 (instead of 31st July 2024). It is not the first time the parliament has postponed the standard packaging requirements. These requirements will not apply to heated tobacco and vaping products.
25th June 2024
- Georgia: The parliamentary Economy and Economic Policy Committee has discussed and supported the amendment to the Law on Tobacco Control, which would postpone the regulation for standard plain packaging for tobacco products until 1st October 2024 (instead of 31st July 2024), press report. It is not the first time the parliament has postponed the standard packaging requirements. We understand it should be further approved by the plenary, and will not apply to heated tobacco and vaping products.
19th April 2024
- Georgia: Parliament has supported a draft law seeking to reduce the excise duty rate on chewing tobacco from GEL60 ($23) to GEL30 ($11) as of 1st January 2025, media reports.
5th March 2024
- Georgia: A draft law seeking to reduce the excise duty rate on chewing tobacco from GEL60 ($23) to GEL30 ($11) has been initiated, media reports. If adopted, it would apply as of 1st January 2025.
16th November 2023
- Georgia: The parliament has adopted the bill that amends the current Law on Tobacco Control to postpone the regulation of standard plain packaging for tobacco products until 1st April 2025 in its first reading, press reports. This is despite the fact that the Health Protection and Social Affairs Committee has not supported the amendment recently. In addition, press reports, the bill seeks to exempt heated tobacco from standardised packaging rules.
31st October 2023
- Georgia: The parliamentary Healthcare and Social Affairs Committee has discussed the bill amending the current Law on Tobacco Control, seeking to postpone the regulation of standard plain packaging of tobacco products until 1st April 2025, media reports. The bill reportedly also seeks to exempt heated tobacco from standardised packaging rules. As a result, the committee did not support the bill.
30th October 2023
- Georgia: Two bills seeking to amend the current Law on Tobacco Control have been submitted to the parliament, media reports. Plain packaging for tobacco products is due to be introduced on 31st July 2024. However, if adopted, the first bill would establish a transition period, allowing both plain packaging and old-design boxes to be on the market until 1st April 2025 – after this date, only plain packaging will be permitted. The second bill would allow manufacturers to put the brand name in the Latin alphabet for plain packaging boxes (as opposed to only in Georgian, as currently stipulated in the law).
14th December 2022
Georgia: Amendments to the Law on Tobacco Control came into effect yesterday, postponing the requirement for standardised plain packaging of tobacco products to 31st July 2024. The regulation was reportedly originally supposed to come into force in 2018, but was then put back until 31st December 2022.
30th November 2022
Georgia: The requirement for standardised plain packaging on tobacco products, which should have come into force on 31st December 2022 under the current legislation, is postponed to 31st July 2024 after Parliament approved proposed changes to the Law on Tobacco Control at their first reading.
22nd November 2022
Georgia: The parliamentary Human Rights Protection and Civil Integration Committee has discussed a proposed amendment to the Law on Tobacco Control, media reports. If it is adopted, the regulation of standardised plain packaging for tobacco products, which should come into force on 31st December 2022 under the current legislation, will be put back by two years. The proposal follows industry demands to postpone the regulation due to the war in Ukraine, which was the main manufacturer of tobacco products imported into Georgia.
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