Georgian Parliament’s Legal Committee to discuss bill on transparency of foreign influence next week

The Georgian Parliament on Monday said a session of the Bureau of the Parliament had discussed the bill on the transparency of foreign influence, after the controversial draft law was reintroduced by the ruling Georgian Dream party earlier this month, and added its Legal Committee would review the legislative piece next week.

The bill calls for registration of non-commercial legal entities and media outlets in the country as “agents of foreign influence” if they derive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad, and its original proposal was retracted last year following public protests.

Gia Volski, the leader of the session and MP of the ruling party, said representatives of the parliamentary opposition presented alternate drafts of the law in the discussion, and added the bills were initiated in two legislative packages.

The opposition For Georgia party, chaired by the former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, on Monday submitted an alternate draft.

The Parliament also said representatives of the domestic opposition requested both the main and alternate bills to be discussed not only by the Committee but also by all committees of the lawmaking body.

Giorgi Mskhiladze, the Parliamentary Secretary of the country’s President, said the resubmitted draft by the ruling party should not be registered at the Bureau session “at all”.

Anri Okhanashvili, the Chair of the Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee, noted the Committee would discuss the bill on April 15.