Emergency Management Service Faces Reforms
By Mariam Chanishvili
Tuesday, January 9
(TBILISI) -- Head of the newly established Emergency Management Service Giorgi Mghebrishvili announced systemic reforms of the service and presented a new head of Emergency Management Agency at the meeting on January 8.
Mghebrishvili stressed that the reforms will be accompanied with increasing financial support. The changes also envisage improving social guarantees for firefighters and purchasing more advanced, modern equipment.
“We’re striving to create a service in accordance with the Western standards that every citizen and visitor of the country shall rely on,” said Mghebrishvili while meeting the management of the Service.
The legislative changes of January 1, 2018provided for merging of the Emergency Management Agency of Interior Ministry and State Security and Crisis Management Council with an aim to create Emergency Management Service. Former Interior Minister Mghebrishvili was appointed as a head of the Service.
The reforms also envisage staff changes. On January 8, Mghebrishvili presented a new head of Emergency Management Agency Aleksandre Khvadagiani. The agency’s mission is to carry out nationwide emergency operations.
This week, the State Audit Office published a report expressing concerns over the decisions of Interior Ministry regarding tender announcements during the period when ex minister and new head of Emergency Management Service Mghebrishvili held the post. The State Audit Office said the ministry was given recommendations to avoid biased tenders in the future. However, it is believed that the issue has more of a widespread character in Georgia’s civil service.
