Speaker of Georgia Parliament enacts law on foreign agents

June 3 () –

The president of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, promulgated this Monday the law on foreign agents, questioned by the opposition and international institutions such as the European Union for replicating control measures similar to those already in force in neighboring Russia.

The country’s president, Salome Zurabishvili, initially refused to promulgate the text, but deputies managed to overcome the veto last week and it was finally Papuashvili who was responsible for affixing the final signature, with arguments similar to those of the Government.

The head of Parliament has argued that the reform is limited to applying “a minimum standard of transparency” for organizations or media that receive funds from abroad, so that citizens always know “who is behind it.” Likewise, he has accused the opposition of acting with “obedience” to external actors.

Papuashvili has criticized the “blackmail” that, in his opinion, has come from abroad, but has praised the “wisdom” of the Georgian population that has not been carried away “by the avalanche of lies and hatred,” according to the public television.

The opposition considers that the reform replicates in Georgia 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.

Among those who have questioned the reform is the European Commission, which last week left open “all options” to respond if Georgia does not return “to the EU path.” The bloc’s foreign ministers debated the matter last week and it is expected that they will make a concrete decision in June.

“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 by the European Commission and the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell.

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