In selecting a suitable approach to forest sector reform process, Georgia can learn from comparable regional experiences of various East European countries. The Georgian Ministry of Environment and Natural Resource Protection invited representatives of these countries to a conference in Tbilisi where the respective experience will be presented. Concurrently, the Ministry needs an independent comparative study to provide an expert opinion regarding the reform processes of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia post-1990. UNIQUE was contracted to carry out this forest sector reform study. The decision on the future direction of Georgia’s forest sector reform will depend to a large extend on the outcomes of this study and the conference.

• Analysis of the forest sector reform processes in eight East European countries.
• Summarizing strengths and weaknesses of different institutional set-ups.
• Presentation of all findings at a ministerial conference in Tbilisi.