Within the project, 10 DCFTA Local Advisory Councils (LACs) will be established in each of Georgia’s nine regions as well as the Autonomous Republic of Adjara. One DCFTA Central Advisory Council (CAC) will be established at the central decision-making level in Tbilisi. These councils will be permanent structures initiated and facilitated by the project and will continue to function after the project is completed.

LACs are formalized meetings of representatives of SMEs, CSOs and local government bodies from each relevant region that meet regularly (at least three times per year) to discuss the challenges faced by SMEs in the given region. Each meeting will have an appointed rapporteur that will follow the discussion and note recommendations, complaints and problems that the representatives of SMEs and local administration have in regards to DCFTA implementation. These inputs will then be tabled at the CAC meetings, which will be held three times annually in Tbilisi.

The CAC is a formalized meeting of representatives – representatives of SMEs from regions of Georgia, representatives of CSOs dealing with economic issues and the DCFTA and representatives of Georgian state institutions responsible for implementation of the DCFTA, including the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Regional Development and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia. At these meetings, the representatives will discuss the issues raised by the LACs in the regions and discuss possible responses or, if needed, changes to legislation or executive norms.