Comparative Analysis of Western and Russian Mineral Reserve Classifications
Despite that Georgia has signed an Association Agreement with the European Union, by today its geological-mining legislation has not been synchronized with European mining codes. Georgian Law on Earth’s Interior is a calque of the obsolete Soviet law with minimum updates. At the same time, development of the private mining business is hampered by olden standards of exploration reporting and estimation and approval of reserves, which also are vestiges of olden Soviet standards. The article analyses in-depth the Russian and the Western reserve reporting codes and proves that development of mining industry in Georgia calls for immediate legislative approval of the Western standards and foundation of the Competent Persons’ institute. Such actions will not only promote development of private mining businesses but harness the Georgian mineral resource fund to the betterment of the country.