Parliament Vice Speaker says opposition to transparency bill “proves existence of revolutionary scenario” in country
The official further said the legislative initiative would concern non-entrepreneurial legal entities and media whose funding from abroad exceeded 20 percent. The bill requires subject organisations to declare their income and expenses from the preceding year to the Ministry of Justice annually, in the month of January. Photo: Parliament of Georgia
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Gia Volski, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party and the Vice Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, on Wednesday claimed opposition to the bill on transparency of foreign influence on domestic organisations “proves the existence of a revolutionary scenario” in the country ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for October.
The comment came after the parliamentary majority on Wednesday decided to resubmit its bill on the transparency of foreign influence - the controversial draft law that was retracted last year following public protests - that would designate organisations that derive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power”.
If someone is furiously opposing the transparency bill today, it means that they confirm the existence of a revolutionary plan and believe that the public should not know how much and for what purpose non-governmental organisations receive money”, Volski said.
The official further said the legislative initiative would concern non-entrepreneurial legal entities and media whose funding from abroad exceeded 20 percent. The bill requires subject organisations to declare their income and expenses from the preceding year to the Ministry of Justice annually, in the month of January.
“What happens if they do not declare it? Only a fine of ₾25,000 [$9,277] for failure to submit the declaration. What happens after the adoption of this law? Organisations with over 20 percent of their revenues from abroad as of 2023 will be required to submit their 2023 declarations within three months after the law comes into effect”, Volski noted.
The Georgian Parliament last year formally retracted the draft law following the decision by the ruling Georgian Dream party to withdraw the bill, after Georgian-based non-governmental organisations, the United States Department of State, European Union officials and the United Nations Office in Georgia all spoke out in criticism of the bill.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party in the Parliament, on Wednesday said the parliamentary majority had decided to resubmit the bill on the transparency of foreign influence to the Parliament, after the controversial draft law was retracted last year following public protests.
Georgian Parliament on Friday formally retracted the draft law on transparency of foreign influence, following the decision by the ruling Georgian Dream party to withdraw the bill.
Ned Price, the Spokesperson for the United States Department of State, on Thursday said the US welcomed the decision by the ruling Georgian Dream party to withdraw the draft law on transparency of foreign influence and encouraged the country’s political leaders to work together “in earnest” on reforms “urgently needed” to obtain the European Union membership candidate status.
The ruling Georgian Dream party on Thursday said it was “unconditionally” withdrawing the controversial bill on transparency of foreign influence that was met by a backlash by domestic opposition, civil sector and diplomatic representations in the country, citing the interest of maintaining domestic “tranquillity”, the country’s development and its European integration aspirations as factors behind the decision.