EU raises concern over reintroduction of bill on transparency of foreign influence in Georgia

Peter Stano, the European Union Spokesperson for External Affairs, on Thursday said the announcement by the ruling Georgian Dream party on reintroduction of a bill on the transparency of foreign influence raised “serious concerns”.

The comments followed a decision of the ruling party to resubmit the bill - which calls for the registration of non-commercial legal entities and media outlets in the country as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they derive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad - after it was retracted last year following public protests.

In the statement, the EU office recalled the “public pledge” of the Georgian Government and the ruling party to “unconditionally withdraw” such legislation last year.

The EU regrets that it is once again being considered despite strong public and international reactions in March 2023. Creating and maintaining an enabling environment for civil society organisations and ensuring media freedom is at the core of democracy”, Stano said.  

He further noted the matter was also “crucial” to the EU accession process, and recalled the European Council had granted Georgia the EU membership candidate status on the understanding that relevant steps set out in the Commission’s recommendation were taken.

“Transparency should not be used as an instrument to limit civil society’s capacity to operate freely. We encourage the political leaders in Georgia to adopt and implement reforms that are in line with the stated objective of joining the European Union, as supported by a large majority of Georgia’s citizens. The EU calls on Georgia to uphold its commitment to the promotion of democracy, the rule of law and human rights”, the statement 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.