EU urges Georgia to withdraw ‘Foreign Agents’ bill per Venice Commission
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Georgian officials were urged to take into account the recommendations of the Venice Commission and withdraw the scandalous law on “foreign agents” by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell on X on May 22.
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“The Council of Europe strongly recommended Georgia repeal the Law on Foreign Influence in its current form," Borrell wrote.
"We urge the authorities to heed this recommendation in order to protect the fundamental elements of Georgian democracy."
The “Foreign Agents” bill and protests in Georgia
Mass protests swept through Georgia on April 9 following ruling Georgian Dream party leader Mamuka Mdinaradz's announcement that his party intended to reintroduce the 'Foreign Agents’ bill.
Security forces moved to disperse demonstrators in Tbilisi on April 16.
The Georgian legislature approved the bill in its first reading on April 17.
The measure mandates the registration of non-profit organizations and media receiving over 20% of their income from abroad as ‘organizations acting in the interests of a foreign state.’
The bill requires three votes for passage in the Georgian parliament to become law.”
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated on April 18 that the “Foreign Agents” bill aims to safeguard the country from “Ukrainization.”
Read also: Council of Europe urges Georgia to abandon 'Foreign Agents' bill (aka the 'Russian law' bill)
In response, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that the real threat to Georgia is Russification, not “mystical Ukrainization,” warning that using Ukraine derogatorily harms Ukrainian-Georgian relations.
On the same day, members of the European Parliament voiced concerns that the adoption of Georgia’s controversial “Foreign Agents” bill could jeopardize the country’s Euro-Atlantic integration efforts.
The European Parliament passed a resolution regarding Georgia’s foreign influence transparency bill, casting doubt on the country’s EU accession talks while the law is active on April 25.
Clashes erupted between police and protesters near the Georgian parliament on April 30. President Zourabichvili urged an end to the protest dispersal in Tbilisi and held the government responsible for the unrest.
On May 1, the Interior Ministry announced that police had arrested 60 demonstrators, charging them with hooliganism and disobeying lawful police orders. Six police officers sustained injuries during the clashes.
Later that day, the Georgian parliament approved the “Foreign Agents” bill in its second reading.
The legal committee of the Georgian Parliament considered and supported the law on "Foreign Agents" in the third reading in 67 seconds on May 13.
The Georgian Parliament adopted the draft law on "Foreign Agents" in the final third reading on May 14.
84 MPs voted for the adoption of the law; 30 opposition MPs voted against it. Also that day, security forces began to disperse protesters who had gathered near the parliament building.
The European Union may freeze Georgia's application for membership if the law on "Foreign Agents" comes into force, The Financial Times newspaper wrote on May 16.
NATO also warned the Georgian government that the law is incompatible with the country's membership in NATO and the EU.
Salome Zurabishvili vetoed the law on transparency of foreign influence on May 18.
The law contradicts the country's constitution and European standards and "in this way represents an obstacle on our European path," she said.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
