On 1 July 2016, on air on Imedi TV, the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia, Gigla Agulashvili, stated:  “We regularly conduct the monitoring of the quality of fuel upon which we can say that the amount of sulphur and lead in the fuel on the Georgian market is well below the established standards.”

took interest in this statement and verified its accuracy.

The amount of sulphur and lead found in the petrol on the Georgian market is regulated by a Special Directive of the Government of Georgia. This document determines that the amount of lead in petrol can be a maximum of 0.005 grams per litre (g/l) whilst the amount of sulphur can be no more than 150 milligrams per kilo (mg/kg). Diesel fuel is subject to different limitations. According to the 2005 Directive, the acceptable amount of sulphur in diesel is 200 mg/kg.

’s request, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia provided us with the 2014 study conducted by the Levan Samkharauli National Forensics Bureau which scrutinised the qualities of 12 samples of petrol and 12 samples of diesel. The Bureau’s Report determined that all samples of petrol were in compliance with the standards established by the law whilst the amount of sulphur in diesel fuel was higher than permissible and varied from 260 mg/kg to 290mg/kg.

On 24 May 2016, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia together with the Levan Samkharauli National Forensics Bureau conducted another study designed to check the quality of fuel on the Georgian market. The laboratory’s conclusion determined that the situation in the case of petrol had remained the same and everything was within the confines of the law with improvements vis-à-vis the situation concerning the amount of sulphur in diesel which is below the acceptable levels. Apart from the amount of sulphur, the study also checked the amount of lead in the fuel as well as the octane rating of different fuel types with no violations observed in this regard.

It should also be noted that, of late, the legislation in this field has become harsher in order to ensure the maintenance of the established standards. An amendment was made to the Administrative Violations Code of Georgia on 2 March 2016 with Article 91(3) added which determines sanctions for violating the standards of quality and consistency of fuel on Georgian territory. According to the representatives of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia, petrol importing companies are subject to surprise checks with fines for violations varying from GEL 8,000 to GEL 10,000.

In Georgia, petrol and diesel fuel standards were established in 2004 and 2005; however, the enforcement structures and the sanctions were not specified until 2016. Amendments to the legislation have made the process of checking the quality of fuel more effective.

The Association Agreement between Georgia and the European Union includes five directives on the quality of air and subsequent obligations; however, none of them concern car fuel (petrol and diesel).  The only obligation in this regard (Directive 1999/32/ EC) requires decreasing the amount of sulphur in liquid fuels (bunker oil, marine fuel and so on) for which Georgia has time until 2022.

Despite the effective enforcement of the norms determined by domestic legislation, the quality of petrol and diesel in Georgia is far inferior to those in developed countries. According to 2014’s data, the amount of sulphur in petrol and diesel on the Japanese and the European Union markets was 10 mg/kg. The amount of sulphur in diesel in the United States was 15 mg/kg, going up to 30 mg/kg in the case of petrol. On the other hand, especially high amounts of sulphur and lead in petrol and diesel have been reported in Peru, Argentina, Mongolia and African countries.

Studies confirm that the quality of fuel in Georgia is in compliance with the country’s legislation. The amount of sulphur in diesel was reported to be higher than permissible in 2014; however, this problem has been resolved according to more recent studies. The legislation under the incumbent government has become more refined (establishing enforcement structures and the amounts of sanctions) which will facilitate the fuel quality control process.