First Vice PM on bill on transparency of foreign influence: “we need transparency everywhere”

Levan Davitashvili, the first Vice Prime Minister and Economy Minister of Georgia, on Monday commented on developments around the reintroduced controversial bill on transparency of foreign influence by saying “transparency is needed everywhere”.

The bill, reintroduced by the ruling Georgian Dream party earlier this month, would be initiated in the Parliament with “exactly the same text” as last year, only replacing the term describing non-commercial legal entities and media outlets in the country that derive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad as ones “pursuing the interests of a foreign power”, instead of “agents of foreign influence”.

We do not see a double standard here. On the contrary, the position of the Georgian [ruling] Dream is clear - and I think a large part of the society will agree with this - that we want transparency everywhere, and it cannot be the responsibility of any specific organisation while it does not exist for others”, he said at a briefing held at the Government Administration earlier today.

Davitashvili also discussed the requirement for officials to be transparent about their financial situation, adding such documents were “very detailed” and of “one of the highest standards”.

In case an official does not fulfil this obligation, there are clear responsibilities and sanctions in place, including [an involvement from] the anti-corruption bureau, which is responsible for studying and responding accordingly. However, the financial obligations of some non-governmental organisations are not as clear”, he said.

The Minister claimed it was “important for the Georgian society to have detailed information about the sources of funding for certain organisations”.

This information will help the public to know exact motivations of these organisations regarding a specific decision, especially in the economic field. Certain organisations may perform tasks that may pose a threat to the country's economic security”, he said.

If there was an obligation on the transparency of reporting, the public would know what the source of funding is, and it would become clear what interest such an organisation might have due to a particular activity”, the official added.

Davitashvili also noted the United States Agency for International Development required its contractor non-governmental organisations and partners to make information on the sources of funding publicly available.

He added there were organisations that were “financed from various sources”, and alleged the public “does not have detailed information” on the matter.