MINISTRY OF ECONOMY
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
OF GEORGIA

In 2025, Georgia became the chairing country of the International Energy Community. To mark this occasion, a celebratory reception was held in Vienna, Austria. The event was attended by the Energy Community Director Artur Lorkowski, representatives of the organization's secretariat and diplomatic missions from member countries.

Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Genadi Arveladze opened the event with a welcoming speech. "Georgia is beginning its chairmanship of the Energy Community. This is not only a responsibility, but also an opportunity to promote regional cooperation, strengthen energy security, and advance the process of transitioning to green energy," – the Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development stated. In his speech, Genadi Arveladze emphasized the areas the areas that will receive special attention during Georgia's chairmanship, including energy efficiency, legislative approximation with the EU energy regulations, and energy security.

As Genadi Arveladze noted, energy is not just a sector – it is the foundation of economic stability, investment, and regional cooperation. "Our commitment to modernizing the energy sector, aligning with European standards, and promoting regional cooperation remains unwavering. In 2024, we took a significant step towards the target model of the country's electricity market – we launched day-ahead and intraday markets, which creates a basis for a smooth transition to a competitive electricity market," – the Deputy Minister said.

Genadi Arveladze also provided information to the members of the Community about ongoing projects in Georgia's energy sector, with particular emphasis on the Black Sea submarine cable project. According to him, the project will significantly contribute to the integration of Georgia and the entire South Caucasus region with the European energy system, and work on its implementation is actively underway with the involvement of participating countries.

Participants of the celebratory reception were welcomed by Energy Community Director Artur Lorkowski, who positively assessed the reforms implemented by Georgia in the energy sector in recent years and noted the country's leading position among other member states of the Community in terms of implementing energy reforms.

Alexander Maisuradze, Chargé d’affaires ad interim of Georgia to the Republic of Austria, also attended the reception.
The celebratory reception concluded with Georgian folk songs performed by the Austrian trio "Friends on the Danube," which has been performing Georgian folk songs since 2014.

The Energy Community is an international organization that ensures cooperation between the EU and member countries in terms of achieving energy security, energy sustainability, and environmental goals. Georgia, which joined the organization in 2017, has taken over its chairmanship for the first time. It is noteworthy that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the organization's existence.