Georgia’s ‘Foreign Agents’ law threatens EU and NATO integration path
NATO cautioned the Georgian government that “foreign agents” law is incompatible with the country’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration, NATO spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah said on X on May 15.
The Georgian government’s decision to pass legislation on “foreign agents” is a “step in the wrong direction,” Dakhlallah said.
“We urge Georgia to change course and to respect the right to peaceful protest,” she said.
Protesting the “Foreign Agents” bill in Georgia
Mass protests erupted across Georgia on April 9 after the ruling Georgian Dream party proposed reintroducing a controversial ‘Foreign Agents’ bill, dubbed the ‘Russian law’, which sparked widespread opposition in 2023.
On April 16, security forces dispersed demonstrators in Tbilisi.
The Georgian legislature passed the bill in its first reading on April 17. The legislation requires non-profit organizations and media receiving more than 20% of their funding from foreign sources to register as ‘organizations acting in the interests of a foreign state.’
The bill must pass three votes in the Georgian parliament to become law.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has vowed to veto the bill.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated on April 18 that the bill aims to prevent the “Ukrainization” of the country.
Read also: Mass brawl and protests in Georgian parliament over controversial 'foreign agents' law – video
In response, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry countered that the real threat to Georgia is Russification, not “mystical Ukrainization,” and emphasized that derogatory references to Ukraine damage Ukrainian-Georgian relations.
Members of the European Parliament expressed concerns that the bill could hinder Georgia’s aspirations for Euro-Atlantic integration.
On April 25, the European Parliament adopted a resolution indicating that the “foreign agents” bill could impact Georgia’s EU accession discussions while the law is in effect.
Clashes broke out between police and protesters near the Georgian parliament on April 30.
President Salome Zourabichvili called for an end to the dispersal of protests in Tbilisi and blamed the government for the unrest.
The Interior Ministry reported that 60 demonstrators were arrested on May 1, facing charges of hooliganism and failing to obey police orders.
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Six police officers were injured during the clashes.
Later that day, the Georgian parliament passed the “foreign agents” bill in its second reading.
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