On Tuesday, May 14, Georgia’s Parliament passed the third and final reading of a “foreign agents” bill. The law would require organisations that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as agents of foreign influence. This would impose onerous disclosure requirements and punitive fines for violations. The law is expected to restrict the country’s political and civil rights. In a joint statement, leading MEPs have warned that the law will cause rifts within Georgia and further harm the country’s international standing and its European future.
The Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs David McAllister (EPP, DE), the Chair of the Delegation for relations with the South Caucasus Marina Kaljurand (S&D, ET) and the European Parliament’s Standing Rapporteur on Georgia Sven Mikser (S&D, ET) issued the following statement.
“We deplore the adoption of the “foreign agent law” by the Georgian Parliament. We are greatly disappointed that the ruling majority has ignored the concerns expressed by human rights watchdogs and international partners, including the EU and the US. We urge the Georgian authorities to withdraw the law before it causes deeper rifts within Georgia and further jeopardises the country’s international standing and its European future.
We reiterate our full solidarity with the Georgian people who are defending democratic values and demonstrating for their country’s Euro-Atlantic future. The government in Tbilisi must de-escalate immediately by refraining from any further use of force against peaceful protesters, opposition politicians, NGOs and independent media protesting against the law. Any violence or continued intimidation against the protesters is an infringement of the right to peaceful protest and, therefore, unacceptable.
Creating a friendly environment for civil society and media freedom is core to any democracy and a crucial requirement for EU accession. We call on the Council and the European Commission to reconsider EU-Georgia relations, including our political and financial support to the country. We call on the Commission to provide an immediate oral assessment on how the foreign agent law will impact Georgia’s EU accession process, as already proposed by 12 Foreign Ministers.”
