On 1-2 December 2015, the Council of Europe organised a study visit for the nine members of the State Audit Office of Georgia to gather good practices from the political party and campaign finance monitoring in France. The study visit has been organised in fruitful cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development of France.

The aim of the study visit was to familiarise with the legislation, regulations, and practice on conducting political party and campaign finance monitoring in France with a view to gather experiences for the upcoming parliamentary elections in Georgia, scheduled for autumn 2016. The visit has been organised within the framework of the electoral assistance component of the Action Plan between the Council of Europe and the Authorities of Georgia for the years 2013 – 2015.

The Georgian delegation led by Mr Lasha Tordia, the General Auditor of Georgia, and consisting of the staff of the Political Party and Campaign Finance Monitoring Department, held the exchanges with high level representatives of the French National Commission on Political Party and Campaign Finance, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The Georgian delegation also had the opportunity to visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development of France.

Both sides agreed to continue close cooperation and requested the Council of Europe further support in aligning Georgian legislation pertaining to party and campaign finance in line with European standards