3. The cooperation covered by this Article shall be implemented according to specific arrangements to be negotiated and concluded in accordance with the procedures adopted by each Party, and which shall set out, inter alia, appropriate IPR provisions.
Article 54. Education and Training
1. The Parties shall cooperate with the aim of raising the level of general education and professional qualifications in Georgia, both in the public and private sectors.
2. The cooperation shall focus in particular on the following areas:
- Updating higher education and training systems in Georgia including the system of certification of higher educational establishments and diplomas of higher education;
- The training of public and private sector executives and civil servants in priority areas to be determined;
- Cooperation between educational establishments and between educational establishments and firms;
- Mobility for teachers, graduates, administrators, young scientists and researchers, and young people;
- Promoting teaching in the field of European Studies within the appropriate institutions;
- Teaching Community languages;
- Post-graduate training of conference interpreters;
- Training of journalists;
- Training of trainers.
3. The possible participation of one Party in the respective programmes in the field of education and training of the other Party could be considered in accordance with their respective procedures and, where appropriate, institutional frameworks and plans of cooperation will then be established building on participation of Georgia in the Community's TEMPUS programme.
Article 55. Agriculture and the Agro-industrial Sector
The purpose of cooperation in this area shall be the pursuance of agrarian reform, the modernization, privatization and restructuring of agriculture, the agro-industrial and service sectors in Georgia, development of domestic and foreign markets for Georgian products, in conditions that ensure the protection of the environment, taking into account the necessity to improve security of food supply as well as the development of agri-business, the processing and distribution of agricultural products. The Parties shall also aim at the gradual approximation of Georgian standards to Community technical regulations concerning industrial and agricultural food products including sanitary and phytosanitary standards.
Article 56. Energy
1. Cooperation shall take place within the principles of the market economy and the European Energy Charter and bearing in mind the Energy Charter Treaty and the Protocol on Energy Efficiency and Related Environmental Aspects, against a background of the progressive integration of the energy markets in Europe.
2. The cooperation shall include among others the following areas:
- Formulation and development of energy policy,
- Improvement in management and regulation of the energy sector in line with a market economy,
- Improvement of energy supply, including security of supply, in an economic and environmentally sound manner,
- Promotion of energy saving and energy efficiency and implementation of the Energy Charter Protocol on Energy Efficiency and related environmental aspects,
- Modernization of energy infrastructures,
- Improvement of energy technologies in supply and end use across the range of energy types,
- Management and technical training in the energy sector,
- Transportation and transit of energy materials and products,
- The introduction of the range of institutional, legal, fiscal and other conditions necessary to encourage increased energy trade and investment,
- Development of hydro-electric and other renewable energy resources.
3. The Parties shall exchange relevant information relating to investment projects in the energy sector, in particular concerning the construction and refurbishing of oil and gas
Pipelines or other means of transporting energy products. They shall cooperate with a view to implementing as efficaciously as possible the provisions of Title IV and of Article 49, in respect of investments in the energy sector.
Article 57. Environment
1. Bearing in mind the European Energy Charter and the Declaration of the Lucerne Conference of 1993, and taking into account the Energy Charter Treaty, and especially its Article 19, and the Energy Charter Protocol on Energy Efficiency and related environmental aspects, the Parties shall develop and strengthen their cooperation on environment and human health.
2. Cooperation shall aim at combating the deterioration of the environment and in particular:
- Effective monitoring of pollution levels and assessment of the environment; system of information on the state of the environment;
- Combating local, regional and transboundary air and water pollution;
- Ecological restoration;
- Sustainable, efficient and environmentally effective production and use of energy;
- Safety of industrial plants;
- Classification and safe handling of chemicals;
- Water quality;
- Waste reduction, recycling and safe disposal, implementation of the Basle Convention;
- The environmental impact of agriculture, soil erosion, and chemical pollution;
- The protection of forests;
- The conservation of biodiversity, protected areas and sustainable use and management of biological resources;
- Land-use planning, including construction and urban planning;
- Use of economic and fiscal instruments;
- Global climate change;
- Environmental education and awareness;
- Technical assistance concerning rehabilitation of zones affected by radioactivity and addressing related health and social problems;
- Implementation of the Espoo Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a transboundary context.
3. Cooperation shall take place particularly through:
- Disaster planning and other emergency situations;
- Exchange of information and experts, including information and experts dealing with the transfer of clean technologies and the safe and environmentally sound use of biotechnologies;
- Joint research activities;
- Improvement of laws towards Community standards;
- Environmental training and institutional strengthening;
- Cooperation at regional level, including cooperation within the framework of the European Environment Agency, and at international level;
- Development of strategies, particularly with regard to global and climatic issues and also with a view to achieving sustainable development;
- Environmental impact studies.
Article 58. Transport
The Parties shall develop and strengthen their cooperation in the field of transport.
This cooperation shall, inter alia, aim at restructuring and modernizing transport systems and networks in Georgia, and developing and ensuring, where appropriate, compatibility of transportation systems in the context of achieving a more global transport system. Particular consideration shall be given to traditional communications links among Independent States in the Transcaucasus region and with other neighbouring states.
The cooperation shall include, inter alia:
- The modernizing of management and operations of road transport, railways, ports and airports;
- Modernization and development of railways, waterways, roads, ports, airports and air navigation infrastructure including the modernization of major routes of common interest and the trans-European links for the above modes, particularly those related to the TRACECA project;
- Promotion and development of multi-modal transport;
- The promotion of joint research and development programmes;
- Preparation of the legislative and institutional framework for policy development and implementation including privatization of the transport sector.
Article 59. Postal Services and Telecommunications
Within their respective powers and competences the Parties shall expand and strengthen cooperation in the following areas:
- The establishment of policies and guidelines for the development of the telecommunications sector and postal services;
- Development of principles of a tariff policy and marketing in telecommunications and postal services;
- Carry out transfer of technology and know how, including on European Technical standards and certification systems;
- Encouraging the development of projects for telecommunications and postal services and attracting investment;
- Enhancing efficiency and quality of the provision of telecommunications and postal services, amongst others through liberalization of activities of sub-sectors;
- Advanced application of telecommunications, notably in the area of electronic funds transfer;
- Management of telecommunications networks and their "optimization";
- An appropriate regulatory basis for the provision of telecommunications and postal services and for the use of the radio frequency spectrum;
- Training in the field of telecommunications and postal services for operations in market conditions.
Article 60. Financial Services
Cooperation shall in particular aim at facilitating the involvement of Georgia in universally accepted systems of mutual settlements. Technical assistance shall focus on:
- The development of banking and financial services, the development of a common market of credit resources, the involvement of Georgia in a universally accepted system of mutual settlements;
- The development of a fiscal system and its institutions in Georgia, exchange of experience and personnel training;
- The development of insurance services, which would, inter alia, create a favourable framework for Community companies participation in the establishment of joint ventures in the insurance sector in Georgia, as well as the development of export credit insurance.
This cooperation shall in particular contribute to foster the development of relations between Georgia and the Member States in the financial services sector.
Article 61. Regional Development
1. The Parties shall strengthen cooperation on regional development and land-use planning.
2. To this end, the Parties shall encourage the exchange of information by national, regional and local authorities on regional and land-use planning policy and on methods of formulation of regional policies with special emphasis on the development of disadvantaged areas.
They shall also encourage direct contacts between the respective regions and public organizations responsible for regional development planning with the aim, inter alia, to exchange methods and ways of fostering regional development.
Article 62. Social Cooperation
1. With regard to health and safety, the Parties shall develop cooperation between them with the aim of improving the level of protection of the health and safety of workers.
The cooperation shall include notably:
- Education and training on health and safety issues with specific attention to high risk sectors of activity;
- Development and promotion of preventive measures to combat work related diseases and other work related ailments;
- Prevention of major accident hazards and the management of toxic chemicals;
- Research to develop the knowledge base in relation to working environment and the health and safety of workers.
2. With regard to employment, the cooperation shall include notably technical assistance to:
- Optimization of the labour market;
- Modernization of the job-finding and consulting services;
- Planning and management of the restructuring programmes;
- Encouragement of local employment development;
- Exchange of information on the programmes of flexible employment, including those stimulating self-employment and promoting entrepreneurship.
3. The Parties shall pay special attention to cooperation in the sphere of social protection which, inter alia, shall include cooperation in planning and implementing social protection reforms in Georgia.
These reforms shall aim to develop in Georgia methods of protection intrinsic to market economies and shall comprise all forms of social protection.
Article 63. Tourism
The Parties shall increase and develop cooperation between them, which shall include:
- Facilitating the tourist trade;
- Increasing the flow of information;
- Transferring know-how;
- Studying the opportunities for joint operations;
- Cooperation between official tourism bodies;
- Training for tourism development.
Article 64. Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
1. The Parties shall aim to develop and strengthen small and medium-sized enterprises and their associations and cooperation between SMEs in the Community and Georgia.
2. Cooperation shall include technical assistance, in particular in the following areas:
- The development of a legislative framework for SMEs;
- The development of an appropriate infrastructure (an agency to support SMEs, communications, assistance for the creation of a fund for SMEs);
- The development of technology parks.
Article 65. Information and Communication
The Parties shall support the development of modern methods of information handling, including the media, and stimulate the effective mutual exchange of information. Priority shall be given to programmes aimed at providing the general public with basic information about the Community and Georgia, including, where possible, access to databases, in full respect of intellectual property rights.
Article 66. Consumer Protection
The Parties will enter into close cooperation aimed at achieving compatibility between their systems of consumer protection. This cooperation may include the exchange of information on legislative work and institutional reform, establishment of permanent systems of mutual information on dangerous products, the improvement of information provided to consumers especially on prices, characteristics of products and services offered, the development of exchanges between the consumer interest representatives, and increasing the compatibility of consumer protection policies, and the organization of seminars and training periods.
Article 67. Customs
1. The aim of cooperation shall be to guarantee compliance with all the provisions scheduled for adoption in connection with trade and fair trade and to achieve the approximation of Georgia's customs system to that of the Community.
2. Cooperation shall include the following in particular:
- The exchange of information;
- The improvement of working methods;
- The introduction of the Combined Nomenclature and the single administrative document;
- The interconnection between the transit systems of the Community and Georgia;
- Simplification of inspections and formalities in respect of the carriage of goods;
- Support for the introduction of modern customs information systems;
- The improvement of working methods;
- The introduction of the Combined Nomenclature and the single administrative document;
- The interconnection between the transit systems of the Community and Georgia;
- Simplification of inspections and formalities in respect of the carriage of goods;
- Support for the introduction of modern customs information systems;
- The organization of seminars and training periods.
Technical assistance shall be provided where necessary.
3. Without prejudice to further cooperation foreseen in this Agreement and in particular Articles 72 and 74, mutual assistance in customs matters between administrative authorities of the Parties shall take place in accordance with the provisions of the Protocol attached to this Agreement.
Article 68. Statistical Cooperation
Cooperation in this area shall have as its aim the development of an efficient statistical system to provide the reliable statistics needed to support and monitor the process of economic reform and contribute to the development of private enterprise in Georgia.
The Parties, in particular, shall cooperate in the following fields:
- Adaptation of the Georgian statistical system to international methods, standards and classification;
- Exchange of statistical information;
- Provision of necessary statistical macro-and microeconomic information to implement and manage economic reforms.
The Community shall contribute to this end by rendering technical assistance to Georgia.
- The improvement of working methods;
- The introduction of the Combined Nomenclature and the single administrative document;
- The interconnection between the transit systems of the Community and Georgia;