Subject: FW: Macro-financial assistance - Condition 7 - Draft Labour Market Strategy of Georgia - EU comments
From: Lika Klimiashvili <[email-masked]>
To: Tamar Barkalaia <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 02 Aug 2019 11:55:10 +0000

ამასაც მოვესწარით! J

პატივისცემით   |   Respectfully

ლიკა  კლიმიაშვილი | Lika Klimiashvili

შრომისა და დასაქმების პოლიტიკის დეპარტამენტის შრომითი ურთიერთობებისა და სოციალური პარტნიორობის სამმართველოს უფროსი | Head of the Labour Relations and Social Partnership Division at the Labour and Employment Policy Department

საქართველოს ოკუპირებული ტერიტორიებიდან დევნილთა, შრომის, ჯანმრთელობისა და სოციალური დაცვის სამინისტრო | Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia

აკ. წერეთლის გამზ. 144; თბილისი 0119; საქართველო | 144 Ak. Tsereteli Ave.; Tbilisi, 0119; Georgia

ოფისი:| Office: +995 (0322) 251 00 11 (1507)

მობ: |     Cell: +995 (595) 97 77 44

ელ. ფოსტა:| E-mail: [email-masked]

www.moh.gov.ge

From: JUODSNUKYTE Jurate (EEAS-TBILISI) <[email-masked]>
Sent: 2 August, 2019 15:47
To: Lika Klimiashvili <[email-masked]>
Cc: [email-masked]' <[email-masked]>; [email-masked]; [email-masked]; RYCHENER Frederique (EMPL) <[email-masked]>; BARDAK Ummuhan (ETF) <[email-masked]>; BACIULIS Martynas (ECFIN) <[email-masked]>; HUITFELDT Henrik (ECFIN) <[email-masked]>; HUET-GUERRICHE Sophie (EEAS-TBILISI) <[email-masked]>; REY Vincent (EEAS-TBILISI) <[email-masked]>; GHERMAN Catalin (EEAS-TBILISI) <[email-masked]>; GRIESSE Joern (ECFIN) <[email-masked]>; PIENKOWSKI Jerzy (ECFIN) <[email-masked]>
Subject: RE: Macro-financial assistance - Condition 7 - Draft Labour Market Strategy of Georgia - EU comments

Dear Lika,

On behalf of my colleagues at the European Commission and ETF, I would like to thank you for consulting with us on the draft strategy and taking into account our suggestions and providing explanations. The documents are acceptable and from this point we would therefore encourage the relevant authorities to adopt the strategy as soon as possible and then proceed with the adoption of an action plan that is also required by the relevant MFA condition. We understand that the implementation timelines will be further specified in this action plan and we are looking forward to receiving its draft for our feedback.

I would also like to thank you for the information and explanations provided regarding consultations with the relevant social partners on the draft strategy, which we consider duly ensured.

I will also be glad to follow up on the strategy implementation related key elements from September, in particular as regards progress on the restructuring of employment services and strengthening of labour inspectorate as well as progress towards adoption of the strategy and the key laws and launching new EU funded projects.

Kind regards,

Jurate

From: GRIESSE Joern (ECFIN) [mailto:[email-masked]]
Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2019 9:12 PM
To: [email-masked]
Cc: [email-masked]'; [email-masked]; [email-masked]; RYCHENER Frederique (EMPL); BARDAK Ummuhan (ETF); BACIULIS Martynas (ECFIN); HUITFELDT Henrik (ECFIN); HUET-GUERRICHE Sophie (EEAS-TBILISI); REY Vincent (EEAS-TBILISI); GHERMAN Catalin (EEAS-TBILISI); JUODSNUKYTE Jurate (EEAS-TBILISI)
Subject: Macro-financial assistance - Condition 7 - Draft Labour Market Strategy of Georgia - EU comments

Dear Lika, colleagues,

Many thanks for consulting us on the draft strategy. We welcome that the strategy has been substantially improved compared to the previous version and that many of our previous comments have been taken into account.

Having collected the views from colleagues in the Commission, and including the European Training Foundation, we would like to raise the following issues to your attention:

1.                      The draft strategy refers to an action plan in Section 4.3 and lists several key elements of such a plan. While you have provided a “log frame” with a list of indicators and the implementation timeframe, we also see a need to include information on the pacing, and the resourcing (financial and human) of actions and on the roles and responsibilities of all the institutions to be involved – either in a standalone document (action plan) or as part of the strategy (alternatively, although not ideal, in a somewhat extended version of the log frame). Regarding the pacing, the document would be more usable and credible if it gave a sense of sequencing, i.e. which actions should come first and which actions should follow by when (rather than stating 2023 for all actions/indicators, as is the case in the current log frame).

2.                      The strategy (p20) includes a reference to a Law on Supporting Employment, which is being drafted. A specific commitment to the adoption of this law, with a timetable/target date, and to its implementation (e.g. the establishment of a Public Employment Service) should be included as an action point in the log frame (or other document, see Point 1). We consider this important, as the MFA condition includes an explicit reference to the “completion of the employment-related legal framework”.

3.                      In a number of other areas, specific actions and/or indicators of success appear to be missing and could usefully be added. The attached documents provide specific examples of such gaps.

4.                      A clearer differentiation between the terms “aims” and “objectives” could be considered (although this may at least partly be a translation issue).

5.                      Regarding the process, we are not sure whether the social partners have been consulted on the draft strategy document. If not, we would strongly encourage such a consultation, as also discussed during the MFA review mission in May. We would be grateful if you could let us know what steps you are planning to take on this or have already taken since mid-May.

We remain available to discuss.

Best regards,

Joern

Joern Griesse
Deputy Head of Unit
Neighbourhood countries – macrofinancial assistance
Tel. +32 2 29-96350

European Commission
Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs
Building Charlemagne, Office 11/011
Rue de la Loi 170, B-1049 Brussels