G/SPS/N/GEO/23  
 
9 March 2015  
(15-1309)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  NOTIFICATION 
1. Notifying Member: GEORGIA 
If applicable, name of local government involved:   
2. Agency responsible: Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of 
Georgia 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item  number(s) as specified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO; IC S numbers should be provided in 
addition, where applicable): Living Modified Organisms (LMO) (ICS Code: 13.020) 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected , to the extent relevant or practicable: 
[X] All trading partners   
[ ] Specific regions or countries:   
5. Title of the notified document: Law of Georgia on "Living Modified Organisms" 
approved by Decree of the President of Georgia 18 September 2014 No.2656-IS  
Language(s): English  Number of pages: 20 
http://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2015/SPS/GEO/15_0911_00_e.pdf  
6. Description of content: Introduction of the Living Modified Organisms (LMO) into the 
environment of the territory of Georgia is pr ohibited since 2 October 2014. Locating and 
re-manufacturing of the living modified organism is permitted in the market network, only if it belongs to the variety of Living Modified Organism allowed in the territory of 
Georgia. The list of permitted Living Modifi ed Organisms is defined by the Decree of the 
Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia. 
The use of Living Modified Organisms in cont ained systems is subjected to licensing. The 
license for the use of living modified organisms in contained systems neither abolishes 
nor changes any other requirement, permit or license necessary for the implementation of consistent activities in the territory of Georgia.   
Transboundary movement of Living Modified Organisms is regulated by the provisions 
stipulated in the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. 
No license is required for re-export/transit purposes of Living  Modified Organisms but is 
subjected to the prior notification to the Mi nistry of Environment and Natural Resources 
Protection of Georgia 
7. Objective and rationale: [X] food safety, [ ] animal health, [ ] plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [ ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.   G/SPS/N/GEO/23 
 
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  8. Is there a relevant international st andard? If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex 
standard or related text)   
[ ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number)    
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g. ISPM number)    
[X] None 
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?   
[ ] Yes   [ ] No 
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:   
9. Other relevant documents and language (s) in which these are available: 
The Constitution of Georgia; The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on 
Biological Diversity 
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : 18 September 2014 
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) : 2 October 2014 
11. Proposed date of entry into force: [ ] Six months from date of publication , 
and/or  (dd/mm/yy) : 2 October 2014 (except for Articles 31 and 33). Articles 31 
and 33 entered into force since 1 January 2015. 
[ ] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments: [ ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : 10 April 2015 
Agency or authority designated to hand le comments: [ ] National Notification 
Authority, [ ] National Enquiry Point.  Address, fax number and e-mail address 
(if available) of other body:  
Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia 
6 Gulua street, 0114 Tbilisi, Georgia 
T/F: +99532 2727231 
E-mail: biodepbio@moe.gov.ge 
Website: http://www.moe.gov.ge  
13. Text(s) available from: [ ] National Notifi cation Authority, [ ] National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and e-mail address (if available) of other body:   
http://www.matsne.ge  (in Georgian)