Shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, maritime trade flows in the Black Sea were significantly reshaped. As the war continued, developments affecting the trade in the Black Sea changed, underscoring the importance of thoroughly analyzing how the region has adapted to such disruptions. This publication builds upon the previous edition, which was released shortly after the outbreak of the war. Now, three years later, our focus shifts to examining how trade dynamics, particularly maritime trade in the Black Sea region, have evolved during this period.

Key insights include:

• Upon the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian War, port calls in Ukraine and Russia dropped sharply, while other Black Sea countries briefly benefited from redirected trade flows. By late 2023, port calls in Ukraine had gradually recovered, supported by new shipping routes through Romania and Bulgaria. However, serious threats to commercial shipping remained.

• Ukraine’s maritime exports and imports fell sharply in 2022, with a slow recovery in imports in 2023. In Russia, maritime imports declined, while exports initially increased in 2022, possibly due to sanctions being ineffective. However, as the sanctions intensified, exports also fell significantly the following year.

The Trans-Caspian route, widely known as the Middle Corridor, has become a vital trade link connecting Georgia and Central Asia, driven by significant geopolitical developments in recent years. The Russia-Ukraine war, which began in 2022, has been a key factor in this shift. As the Middle Corridor gains prominence, economic and political relations between Georgia and Central Asian nations, particularly Kazakhstan, have strengthened. This paper seeks to facilitate bilateral trade between Georgia and Kazakhstan by identifying new, potentially profitable products for exchange and exploring Georgia’s role as a transit corridor for Central Asia.

In an attempt to keep pace with advancements in technology and globalization more broadly, Black Sea countries have been intensifying their efforts to foster and cultivate their own innovation ecosystems. 

Green finance holds great importance today when it comes to combating climate change and achieving sustainability goals by directing investments towards environmentally friendly projects. This approach promotes energy efficiency, clean transportation, and sustainable agriculture, while also mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and fostering economic growth. Ultimately, by integrating environmental considerations into financial decisions, green finance ensures a more sustainable and resilient global economy.

The research study analyses the gender aspects of Georgia's accumulated pension system and assesses the potential gender disparity in pensions between women and men.

In an era where critical infrastructure security and resilience (CISR) has become paramount to national security, economic stability, and public safety, nations are increasingly recognizing the importance of bolstering their protective measures and governance models. Georgia stands on the cusp of a significant reform, aimed at enhancing its critical infrastructure security and resilience. This policy paper presents an initial analysis of Georgia’s current critical infrastructure protection (CIP) landscape as well as insights from the governance models of two EU Member States, and sets out a potential path forward that could serve to safeguard Georgia’s infrastructural assets and align its policies with global best practices.

Currently, the potential of the economic value of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) largely goes unnoticed in official statistics and research publications despite NTFPs being important natural resources that support sustainable bioeconomy value chains, green jobs, alleviation of poverty, and economic and social development. The purpose of the assessment is to overview the existing literature on NTFPs, select the priority NTFPs and provide additional insights regarding the NTFP value chain in Georgia, with an additional focus on target regions.

Despite the data limitations, the analysis shows the increasing global demand for NTFPs and the potential for the development of NTFP sectors in Georgia. On the other hand, the NTFP value chain in target regions (Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Guria, and Kakheti) has further potential for development considering the abundance of selected organic wild NTFP products on their territories. However, issues like the lack of labor force, lack of knowledge on sustainable harvesting and product diversification, and the number and capacity of the processing enterprises create hindrances to the development of the value chain and higher inclusion of local vulnerable groups with an aim to improve the general socio-economic situation in rural areas.

This document has been prepared by PMC Research within the framework of the project “Enabling the Implementation of Georgia's Forest Sector Reform - ECO.Georgia”, funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC) and the Government of Georgia (GoG) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia (MEPA), through its subordinated agencies and the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia (MoESD).

The war in Ukraine has significantly altered trade dynamics in the Black Sea region. Firstly, it has created security challenges and increased tensions between countries. On the other hand, it has also unlocked opportunities to utilize the potential of the Black Sea as a strategic location and international transport route. With this context in mind, it is important to analyze intra-Black Sea countries’ trade, to identify the patterns and volumes of goods exchanged among these countries, and to determine the dynamics of regional economic cooperation and transportation networks. This bulleting provides analysis of the trade data of Black Sea countries and present the main trends in trade in and among Black Sea countries and provides some recommendations on how to both address existing challenges and realize opportunities

The retail industry is one of the important drivers of the Georgian economy. Therefore, it is important to analyze the current situation and future prospects of the sector to identify existing challenges and opportunities of the sector. Additionally, the research aims to share the specifics of the sector and its economic importance to the general public and, as a result, to raise awareness in this direction.

The research structure of the retail trade sector includes an overview of the Georgian retail value chain processes, analysis of key sector indicators, financial indicators, and challenges in the sector.  At the last stage of the research, based on the main findings, recommendations are developed, the purpose of which is to eliminate the challenges in the sector and promote the development of the sector. 

The study examines the challenges faced by state agencies regarding various forms of labor relations, and embraces the perspectives of multiple stakeholders.

The study had two primary objectives: to analyze common challenges related to labor relations among civil servants; and to assess the need to identify additional categories of personnel within state agencies that might require specific regulations. Based on the research findings, the study issued recommendations to tackle the challenges highlighted.

The research was conducted with the support of UNDP and the UK government, with the aim of promoting cooperation between civil society organizations (CSOs) and state institutions regarding ongoing public administration reform topics.