EU has pledged to provide in next three years EUR 19 million to help reduce regional disparities and stimulate economic growth in Georgia's regions.

The funds will be transferred directly to Georgia's state budget in three tranches, "provided the conditions, agreed in advance, are met by the government," according to EU delegation in Tbilisi.
 
"The mechanism of transferring funds only when agreed conditions are met allows the Georgian authorities to choose the speed of reforms and achieve jointly agreed milestones," it said. "Each year, based on an independent evaluation, the EU assesses progress achieved as well as compliance  with the programme's requirements."

Infrastructure development in the regions, involving hospitals, local roads, gas and water connection, as well as improving regional strategic planning capacities, including the reinforcement of human resources and statistics are among the goals of the programme, according to the EU delegation.

Agreement on EUR 19 million assistance was signed on November 14 by Ambassador Philip Dimitrov, head of the EU delegation to Georgia and Giorgi Baramidze, Georgia's state minister for Euro-Atlantic integration issues.