The organisers are the Civil Society Institute, Batumi (Georgia) and the Housing Initiative for Eastern Europe (IWO), Berlin (Germany). The event takes place within the project "HOME - The way forward for reforms in the housing sector: empowering grass-root homeowners associations in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine". The workshop in Batumi continues a series of training activities aimed at improving the professional capacities of the 11 Technical advisory centres (TACs) established in the partner countries. TACs have been set up to provide information and assistance to homeowners to improve their awareness in the field of housing management, as well as to promote cooperation among various stakeholders to discuss existing problems and obstacles in the management of multifamily buildings. Experts from partner countries will discuss opportunities and methods for public participation in the decision-making process to establish a platform based on TACs to bring together the authorities, non-governmental organizations and housing associations to discuss and develop proposals for amendment of legislation. The presentation of the city programs developed by city administration of Batumi on improvement of energy efficiency in residential buildings, as well as visits of houses partially renovated and new constructed, will allow to discuss based on the experience of Georgia the existing opportunities and limitations for implementing energy-efficient measures in the housing sector in the partner countries of the project. The workshop will be used as a platform to identify the perspective areas for supporting national reforms in the housing sector and strengthening the watchdog role of civil society, as well as the planning of joint actions to ensure proper housing management and energy-saving activities in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. This Project is funded by the European Union