Brussels responds to Georgia that it is studying “all options” after the approval of the foreign agents law

BRUSSELS, May 28. () –

This Tuesday, the European Commission reiterated its criticism of Georgia after definitively approving the law on foreign agents and warning that it is studying “all options” to respond to a measure that represents setbacks on the country’s path to the European Union.

“We urge the Georgian authorities to reverse this trend and firmly return to the EU path. There is still time to change the dynamics, but a firm commitment is needed from the governing authorities,” said the European Commission and the High EU Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, lamented in a joint statement.

Thus, he pointed out that the EU and its Member States “are studying all options to react to these events.” Precisely this Tuesday, the foreign ministers of the bloc debated the matter and it is expected that in June they will make a concrete decision due to Georgia’s drift.

Despite social protests and warnings from the international community, the Georgian Parliament has approved the norm after lifting the veto imposed by the country’s president, Salome Zurabishvili, on the text, something that Brussels criticizes because it also means “ignoring” the arguments of the Venice Commission.

“The EU has repeatedly stressed that the law approved by the Georgian Parliament goes against the fundamental principles and values ​​of the EU,” indicated the text agreed upon by the European Commission and the High Representative.

In this sense, they emphasize that the law represents a step backwards in three of the priority reforms established by the Tbilisi Community Integration Commission, which is why it will have a “negative impact” on Georgia’s European path.

In a parliamentary session, the deputies have supported by a majority the annulment of the veto of the head of state of Georgia and also the adoption of the original text, thereby enforcing the approval of May 14 over the decision adopted by the president. four days later.

Critics of the rule, including the United States and the EU, consider that the Georgian law replicates the restrictions that are already applied in Russia and that have made it easier for Vladimir Putin’s government to persecute dissent, under the excuse of an alleged need for financial transparency.