EU Ambassador highlights “difficult period” in relationship with Georgia

Paweł Herczyński, the Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia, on Wednesday highlighted the ongoing “difficult period” in the relationship between Georgia and the bloc following adoption of a controversial law on transparency of foreign influence by the country’s Parliament.

Herczyński said the EU would next week decide “consequences” if the law was enacted.

When it comes to relations between the European Union and Georgia, I have to tell you with huge regret that we are currently undergoing a difficult period in our relationship. We have said repeatedly that enacting a law on foreign influence will adversely affect Georgia’s EU aspirations. Unfortunately, this has happened”, Herczyński said.

“The European Union will discuss the consequences, discussions will happen first at the level of foreign ministers, and several days later at the level of the leaders. So the presidents and prime ministers will discuss and decide what measures we will take in response to those events in Georgia”, he noted.

The law requires 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.

It was supported by 84 MPs in the 150-member Parliament, with 30 voting against, and requires the groups “considered to be an organisation pursuing the interests of a foreign power” to be registered in the public registry with the status and publicise their received funding.