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Georgia

Introduction of Electronic Licensing System in the Field of Natural Resources Application (GE0044)

Overview

At-a-Glance

Action Plan: Georgia National Action Plan 2016-2018

Action Plan Cycle: 2016

Status: Inactive

Institutions

Lead Institution: LEPL – National Environment Agency, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia

Support Institution(s): NA

Policy Areas

Capacity Building, E-Government, Extractive Industries, Public Service Delivery, Records Management

IRM Review

IRM Report: Georgia End-of-Term Report 2016-2018, Georgia Mid-Term Report 2016-2018

Starred: No

Early Results: Marginal

Design i

Verifiable: Yes

Relevant to OGP Values: Access to Information

Potential Impact:

Implementation i

Completion:

Description

Introduction of electronic licensing system in the field of natural resources application. Currently, issuance of licenses for using natural resources (except for oil and natural gas) are only partially electonized by the National Environment Agency. A licensee is only able to participate in the auction through electronic means. A citizen who is willing to obtain a license and/or receive any other paid services outside the auction, within the auction or afterwards, must complete additional paperwork (for example, submission of an application and other accompanying documents, the owner’s consent and decision, statistical form, etc.) before and after the auction. This process requires additional time and financial resources both for the citizen and the agency. Sorting and analyzing information received non-electronically is another complication. The current liscensing system is problematic because it is important to distribute high quality information in a timely fashion not only for formation of the database, but to deliver virious services promptly for the the licensees, license seekers, public structures and other stakeholders. Through this commitment, the National Environment Agency shall issue licenses and render other paid services entirely in an electronic manner. The new electronic system allows for documents pertaining to the licensing field to be available electronically. As a result, the agency will be able to sort and form the statistical database of collected information in a much more efficient manner. The system will ensure prompt, high-quality delivery of the processed information. Furthermore, the customer will have simplified access to any public information (statistics, online map of resources, guidebook, etc.) available in the licensing field. It is important that and the licensees will be able to contact and share information with one another. Date of implementation: 2016-2017 Issues to be Addressed: Issuance of licenses and other type of services are only partially electronized. Most of the documents are available as hard copies which complicates the process and requires more time, additional financial and human resources. Main Objective: - Improvement of services - Simplification of relations between the government and the citizen - Avoiding risks of corruption - Optimization of human resource application - More transparency during the service delivery

IRM End of Term Status Summary

3. Introduction of electronic licensing system in the field of natural resource application

Commitment Text:

Currently, issuance of licenses for using natural resources (except for oil and natural gas) are only partially electronized by the National Environment Agency. A licensee is only able to participate in the auction through electronic means.

A citizen who is willing to obtain a license and/or receive any other paid services outside the auction, within the auction or afterwards, must complete additional paperwork (for example, submission of an application and other accompanying documents, the owner’s consent and decision, statistical form, etc.) before and after the auction. This process requires additional time and financial resources both for the citizen and the agency. Sorting and analyzing information received non-electronically is another complication. The current licensing system is problematic because it is important to distribute high quality information in a timely fashion not only for formation of the database, but to deliver virious services promptly for the licensees, license seekers, public structures and other stakeholders.

Through this commitment, the National Environment Agency shall issue licenses and render other paid services entirely in an electronic manner. The new electronic system allows for documents pertaining to the licensing field to be available electronically. As a result, the agency will be able to sort and form the statistical database of collected information in a much more efficient manner. The system will ensure prompt, high-quality delivery of the processed information. Furthermore, the customer will have simplified access to any public information (statistics, online map of resources, guidebook, etc.) available in the licensing field. It is important that and the licensees will be able to contact and share information with one another.

Responsible Institution(s): LEPL – National Evironment Agency, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia

Supporting Institution(s): None

Start Date: December 2015 End Date: December 2017

Commitment Aim:

This commitment aimed to expedite license documentation processing for natural resource applications by introducing an electronic licensing system. At the time this commitment was adopted, investors in Georgia faced difficulties obtaining licenses from the National Environment Agency for using natural resources. There was significant paperwork, and the process dragged. More specifically, the commitment set out to:

  • Provide licenses and other paid services entirely in an electronic manner;
  • Make documents in the licensing field available electronically; and
  • Give the customer simplified access to any public information in the field, including statistics, online maps of resources, and a guidebook.
Status

Midterm: Limited

This commitment saw limited implementation by the midterm. The first phase, including analyzing business processes of the new electronic system, was successfully completed in June 2017. However, the Agency decided to add two new components to the system that turned out to be more challenging to implement: 1) integrating the Environmental Supervision Department into the new system to monitor how licensees are implementing their obligations; and 2) developing more robust electronic modules for mineral resource applications. The Agency’s IT specialists were busy analyzing whether it would be possible to add those two components to the system.

End of term: Complete

The December 2017 amendments transferred natural resource responsibilities from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources to the newly created National Agency of Mineral Resources under the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development. [8] On 20 February 2018, the Agency launched a new portal on the Revenue Service webpage, https://nam.rs.ge/, which allows license-seekers to register their interest to participate in auctions and to submit all necessary documents to the Agency electronically, including license implementation action plans and relevant statistics. The portal also allows the Agency to send out notifications to all registered license-seekers or licensees. It contains full and up-to-date data on the licensees, location of licensed objects, a list of natural resources for licensing as well as dates, costs, and the scope of license agreements. In order to register on the portal, interested users should refer to the service center of the Agency of Mineral Resources to obtain the necessary username and the password, after which they will be assigned a unique registration number. [9] In addition, in April 2018, the Agency launched another portal which should contain data on all geological projects implemented in Georgia, including relevant reports, cadastral maps, characteristics and photos of geological objects, expert comments on the condition of those objects, as well as minutes of relevant inter-agency meetings. [10]

Did It Open Government?

Access to Information: Marginal

The new electronic licensing system is not for public use since it requires the entry of username and password for registration, which must be obtained at the Agency of Mineral Resources. The system contributes to improving issuance of natural resource licenses and easing the flow of necessary documents between the Agency and license-seekers. The new geological portal, described above, is still under construction. Most of the data currently published are historical, archived documents in Russian and in scanned PDF form, which is not very useful for the reader. Finally, the Agency has not conducted any awareness-raising campaigns around its new portals. Neither has it tracked the number of users and the level of their satisfaction.

On a positive note, the Agency created a Facebook page, on 19 June 2018, which contains infographics, maps, and characteristics of natural resources in various regions of Georgia as well as new developments in the Agency and in the natural resource field. Some of this information was new to the public. Most Facebook posts were published after July, which falls outside of the reporting period. As of October, 1,129 people have liked this new Facebook page while 1,140 have followed it. [11] Based on this description, the commitment has led to only a marginal change in improving public access to information in natural resources.

Carried Forward?

The commitment was not carried into the new Action Plan 2018−2019. In line with the five key recommendations of the midterm report, the Georgian government could prioritize transparency of government contracts in the licensing of natural resources, as well as the privatization of and public procurements in infrastructure projects. Civil society representatives recommend the adoption and use of the Open Contracting Data Standard in conjunction with stakeholder collaboration. [12]

[8] Law of Georgia, “Amendment to the Law of Georgia on the Structure, Competences, and Work of Georgian Government,” Art. 2, doc. no. 1620-RS (7 Dec. 2017), https://bit.ly/2xUs0fw.

[9] Elene Kemashvili (National Agency of Mineral Resources), email correspondence with IRM researcher, 24 Aug. 2018.

[10] National Agency of Mineral Resources, “Geology Fund Catalogue,” https://bit.ly/2DB8lHk.

[11] National Agency of Mineral Resources, “National Agency of Mineral Resource’s Facebook Page” (Facebook, 2018), https://www.facebook.com/nationalagencyofmines/.

[12] Lasha Gogidze and Tamar Gzirishvili, Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM): Georgia Progress Report 2016-2017 (OGP, 30 Apr. 2018), https://bit.ly/2NIr097.

Commitments

  1. Improved Public Services

    GE0066, 2018, Capacity Building

  2. Citizen Engagement Platform

    GE0067, 2018, Capacity Building

  3. Unified Authentication System

    GE0068, 2018, E-Government

  4. Economic Governance

    GE0069, 2018, E-Government

  5. Environment Portal

    GE0070, 2018, E-Government

  6. Strengthen Anti-Corruption Institutions

    GE0071, 2018, Anti-Corruption Institutions

  7. Monitor SDGs

    GE0072, 2018, Capacity Building

  8. Citizen Engagement Legislation

    GE0073, 2018, Legislation & Regulation

  9. Publish Court Decisions

    GE0074, 2018, E-Government

  10. Increasing Transparency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs

    GE0075, 2018, E-Government

  11. Citizen Participation in Public Finance

    GE0076, 2018, Audits and Controls

  12. Transparent Public Funding System

    GE0077, 2018, Fiscal Transparency

  13. Public Procurement Improvements

    GE0078, 2018, E-Government

  14. Housing Policy Planning

    GE0079, 2018, Land & Spatial Planning

  15. Openness and Accountability of State-Owned Enterprises

    GE0080, 2018, E-Government

  16. Transparency and Good Governance

    GE0081, 2018, Legislation & Regulation

  17. Open Data Collection and Publication

    GE0082, 2018, E-Government

  18. Participation for Disabled Individuals

    GE0083, 2018, Infrastructure & Transport

  19. Participatory Budgeting

    GE0084, 2018, Capacity Building

  20. Your Idea for the Zugdidi Mayor

    GE0085, 2018, Capacity Building

  21. Electronic Services

    GE0086, 2018, E-Government

  22. I. Gov. Zugdidi

    GE0087, 2018, Capacity Building

  23. Service and Citizen Satisfaction Assessment

    GE0088, 2018, Capacity Building

  24. Promoting and Monitoring SDGs

    GE0089, 2018, Legislature

  25. Citizen Involvement in Budget

    GE0090, 2018, E-Government

  26. Technology for Transparency

    GE0091, 2018, E-Government

  27. Citizen Engagement Center

    GE0092, 2018, Capacity Building

  28. Raising Public Awareness About Parliamentary Democracy

    GE0093, 2018, E-Government

  29. Electronic Innovations for More Transparency and Efficiency of Public Procurement

    GE0056, 2016, Capacity Building

  30. Starred commitment Adoption of the Environmental Assessment Code

    GE0057, 2016, Capacity Building

  31. Introduction of a Mobile App as an Alternative Channel to Connect to “112”

    GE0058, 2016, E-Government

  32. Development of Local Councils for Crime Prevention

    GE0059, 2016, Public Service Delivery

  33. Development of a Guidebook for Economic Agents

    GE0060, 2016, Capacity Building

  34. Development and Introduction of the Quality Control Program of Commercial Service

    GE0061, 2016, Capacity Building

  35. Presentation of Company Reports in an Electronic Form and Provision of Their Accessibility

    GE0062, 2016, Capacity Building

  36. Introduction of an Electronic Petition Portal and “Zugdidi-INFO” on the Webpage of Zugdidi Municipality Assembly

    GE0063, 2016, Capacity Building

  37. Transparency of Ozurgeti Municipality Assembly Meetings

    GE0064, 2016, Capacity Building

  38. Creation of Electronic Mechanism for Local Budget Planning in Kutaisi, Ozurgeti, Batumi and Akhaltsikhe

    GE0065, 2016, E-Government

  39. Adapting the Public Service Hall to the Needs of the People with Disabilities

    GE0042, 2016, Capacity Building

  40. Launch of the Unified Healthcare System Information Portal

    GE0043, 2016, Capacity Building

  41. Introduction of Electronic Licensing System in the Field of Natural Resources Application

    GE0044, 2016, Capacity Building

  42. Creation of Spatial (Geographic) Data Web-Portal for the Energy Sector

    GE0045, 2016, Capacity Building

  43. Creation of Innovation Ecosystem

    GE0046, 2016, Capacity Building

  44. Electronic Portal for Registering and Disposal of State Property – Customer’S Module

    GE0047, 2016, E-Government

  45. Development of the Freedom of Information Law

    GE0048, 2016, Legislation & Regulation

  46. Development of a Monitoring and Assessment System of the Government Policy and Legislative Acts

    GE0049, 2016, Capacity Building

  47. Starred commitment Introduction of the Public Officials’ Asset Declarations Monitoring System

    GE0050, 2016, Anti-Corruption Institutions

  48. Establishing Unified Regulations to Publish Court Decisions

    GE0051, 2016, Judiciary

  49. Development of Transparency and Integrity Strategy and Action Plan in the Field of Regional Development and Infrastructure

    GE0052, 2016, Capacity Building

  50. Improvement of the Database of the Convicted and Transfer of the Penitentiary Department Entirely Onto the Electronic Workflow Management

    GE0053, 2016, Capacity Building

  51. Publication of Phone Tapping Data According to the Nature of the Crime and Geographic Area

    GE0054, 2016, E-Government

  52. Starred commitment Increasing Citizen Participation in Supervision of Public Finances (Public Audit)

    GE0055, 2016, Capacity Building

  53. "Voice of the Consumer"

    GE0013, 2014, Public Participation

  54. JUSTdrive

    GE0014, 2014, Public Service Delivery

  55. Educational Services

    GE0015, 2014, Public Service Delivery

  56. Citizen's Portal (Www.Mygov.Ge)

    GE0016, 2014, Capacity Building

  57. Transformation of Public Libraries for Regional Development

    GE0017, 2014, Capacity Building

  58. Digital Signature and Online Authentication

    GE0018, 2014, E-Government

  59. Open Data Portal (Data.Gov.Ge)

    GE0019, 2014, E-Government

  60. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Draft

    GE0020, 2014, Legislation & Regulation

  61. Georgia's OGP Forum

    GE0021, 2014, OGP

  62. I-Change.Ge

    GE0022, 2014, E-Government

  63. Transparency of Public Service Recruitment

    GE0023, 2014, E-Government

  64. Asset Declaration Monitoring System

    GE0024, 2014, Anti-Corruption Institutions

  65. Starred commitment Political Party Financial Declarations

    GE0025, 2014, E-Government

  66. Accessibility of Ministry of Interior's Webpage to People with Special Needs

    GE0026, 2014, E-Government

  67. Starred commitment Proactive Publishing of Surveillance Data

    GE0027, 2014, Civic Space

  68. Public Awareness of the Electoral Process

    GE0028, 2014, Capacity Building

  69. Transparency of Budgetary Processes

    GE0029, 2014, E-Government

  70. Electronic System of Procurement

    GE0030, 2014, E-Government

  71. Digital Human Resource Management System

    GE0031, 2014, E-Government

  72. Digital Preservation System: E-Archive

    GE0032, 2014, E-Government

  73. Openness and Accessibility of National Archives

    GE0033, 2014, E-Government

  74. Electronic Catalogues of Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) Archives

    GE0034, 2014, E-Government

  75. Public Finance Management System

    GE0035, 2014, E-Government

  76. Alternative Channels to "112"

    GE0036, 2014, E-Government

  77. Interactive Statistics and Crime Mapping

    GE0037, 2014, E-Government

  78. Travel Insurance Services

    GE0038, 2014, Citizenship and Immigration

  79. State Property Registration

    GE0039, 2014, Public Service Delivery

  80. Development of Community Centers in Georgia

    GE0040, 2014, E-Government

  81. Introduction of e-Governance in Local Self-Governments

    GE0041, 2014, E-Government

  82. Public Service Hall-Hub of Public Services

    GE0001, 2012, Citizenship and Immigration

  83. e-Governance in Local Governments

    GE0002, 2012, E-Government

  84. Citizens’ Portal

    GE0003, 2012, E-Government

  85. Easily Accessible and Better Healthcare

    GE0004, 2012, E-Government

  86. Launch Ichange.Ge and Data.Gov.Ge

    GE0005, 2012, E-Government

  87. Platform for Participating in the Legislative Process

    GE0006, 2012, E-Government

  88. Citizens and Justice

    GE0007, 2012, Judiciary

  89. Starred commitment Transparent Party Financing

    GE0008, 2012, Money in Politics

  90. Home-Grown Concept of E-Procurement

    GE0009, 2012, E-Government

  91. e-Declarations

    GE0010, 2012, Asset Disclosure

  92. Technology Cares for Safety: ICCMS, Crime Mapping, and Safety in Your Neighbourhood

    GE0011, 2012, E-Government

  93. NGO Forum

    GE0012, 2012, Capacity Building