Extra guarantees for investment and property?

At the September 18 Government session President Mikheil Saakashvili stated that additional legislative guarantees will be introduced to protect investments and private property. Some experts however think that it is not legislation which creates problems in these areas but the administration itself, which ignores parts of the existing laws.

Independent analyst Soso Tsiskarishvili says that he does not see any necessity for legislative amendments, as despite certain inherent difficulties current economic legislation does not prevent business from running properly in Georgia. The only problem businessmen experience is lack of political goodwill.

Analysts suggest that the unfavourable investment climate is not only the result of political tension and confrontation. They think that businesses cannot be successful in this country unless lobbied for by Government structures or influential politicians. Many problems are also created by the court system being under pressure from the top.