Parliament committed to offer transparency bill acceptable to EU, Georgian citizens - ruling party MP

Levan Karumidze, the First Deputy Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s  European Integration Committee, said on Tuesday he hoped the members of the Georgian Parliament would agree on the bill on transparency of foreign influence that would be “acceptable” to the European Union and those citizens who had been working “tirelessly, honestly, honourably ” for the development of the country for years.

Five minutes before the vote of the bill with its first reading, the lawmaker stressed he was aware of the “emotions and turmoil" that had followed the consideration of the draft law among Georgian citizens and the country's partner states.

“For me it is important to turn the bill into such a law, that will be acceptable for Georgian citizens and the EU, the organisation we all strive to become a member of. I hope, after the first hearing of the draft law and with the conclusion of the Venice Commission we will return to the wording of a foreign agent with in-depth analysis before the second hearing and agree on such a law that will be tolerable for the EU and our citizens.” Karumidze said.

He also noted along with the opinion of the Venice Commission, the legislative body would discuss the legal piece "in-depth" to offer an acceptable law both to the bloc  and the public.