Events
New Public Service Hall Opens in Terjola
Access to public and private sector services continues to expand. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and Minister of Justice Rati Bregadze inaugurated the 123rd branch of the Public Service Hall in Terjola today. Member of Parliament Mamuka Mdinaradze also addressed the event’s attendees.
The Terjola Public Service Hall will provide citizens with over 500 services in a modern and comfortable environment. A dedicated space will be available for wedding ceremonies. The branch is fully accessible to individuals with disabilities.
Approximately 15 local residents are employed at the new Public Service Hall. Additionally, the branch houses the offices of the LEPL units responsible for governance within the Ministry of Justice.
The Ministry of Justice prioritizes the accessibility of state services, which are provided by the Public Service Hall throughout Georgia. By 2028, the number of Public Service Halls will reach 133, ensuring that citizens residing in remote areas will be adequately served. The innovative Mobile Public Service Hall will operate in 90 villages across the country.
Currently, there are 26 Public Service Halls directly within the Imereti region, while the Mobile Public Service Hall covers 15 villages of the region.
Furthermore, the Public Service Hall operates in Kutaisi Penitentiary No. 2, introducing a Georgian innovation that has no comparable counterparts globally.
The opening ceremony was attended by members of the legislative authority, Minister of Defense Irakli Chikovani, Deputy Ministers of Justice, heads of LEPLs, state trustee in the Imereti region, representatives of local government and the patriarchate, and invited guests.
According to survey by Ipsos France, 61% of Georgia's population has positively assessed the independence of its courts
Commissioned by Georgia's Ministry of Justice, the survey was conducted by the consortium Ipsos France in collaboration with Professor Jan van Dijk. The study involved two components: a survey of the general population and a separate study targeting legal professionals. Between July 14 and August 9, 2024, 2,000 citizens across Georgia were interviewed in person.
The results revealed that 61% of respondents considered the justice system's independence as either "very good" or "mostly good." This represents a 10% increase since 2018 and surpasses the European Union average of 53%, as indicated by the 2023 Eurobarometer survey.
In addition to the public survey, interviews with legal professionals—such as judges, prosecutors, lawyers, and members of the High Council of Justice— positively assessed the reforms implemented in recent years.
About the consortium: Ipsos, the world’s third-largest market research firm, was founded in 1975 in Paris, France, and operates in 90 countries globally.
Professor Jan van Dijk, Professor Emeritus at Tilburg University, served as the Director of the Department of Strategic Planning at the Ministry of Justice in the Netherlands for four years. He also established a victim support center in the Netherlands and has been a visiting professor at the University of Oxford. A globally recognized expert in criminal law, Professor van Dijk has published over 200 academic papers and was awarded the Stockholm Prize in Criminology in 2012.
The detailed findings of the research are presented in the attached reports:
3.Public Perception of the Judicial System in Georgia; Georgian Population Survey [in Georgian]
4.Public Perception of the Judicial System in Georgia; Georgian Population Survey [in English]