On January 15, 2016, the Public Defender of Georgia addressed the Parliament of Georgia with a proposal to apply all existing measures to regulate the issue of noise at the legislative level, according to international standards, and appropriate disciplinary measures to be included in the Code of Administrative Offences.

The Public Defender is studying a collective application signed by 343 residents of Agladze Street of Tbilisi. The application describes the difficult conditions resulting from the noise made by industrial and other facilities.

In order to solve the problem, the Parliament’s Committee of Health and Social Affairs initiated a bill on amendments to the Code of Administrative Offences and it was put on the agenda of the Parliament’s ongoing session. However, later, in response to the appeal of the Public Defender's Office, the Parliament’s Committee of Health and Social Affairs explained that the bill was withdrawn because of different positions of competent authorities regarding the definition of the term "noise", continuity and administrative responsibilities.

One of the important and fundamental conditions of human health is a healthy environment. Noise pollution prevents proper formation of such an environment. Noise pollution is a threat to public health. It has negative impact on health and well-being of each individual. The documents of the World Health Organization and the practice of the European Court of Human Rights indicate at close connection between the regulation of the noise issue and the right to live in a healthy and safe environment, as well as the right to respect for private and family life.

The Public Defender considers that the state does not fulfill its obligations and violates the human right to live in a healthy and safe environment, and the right to respect for private and family life. This situation needs to be immediately corrected.

The Public Defender hopes that the Parliament of Georgia will consider the proposal and will take effective steps to ensure regulation of the issue.