March 7 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The European External Action Service of the European Union has rejected on Tuesday the foreign agents law approved in first reading by the Parliament of Georgia, and has warned that it contravenes the agreed values and norms of the European bloc.
The diplomatic department of the EU has issued a statement in which it has stressed that this new legislation is a “very bad step for Georgia and its people”, as it can have a “paralyzing effect” on the country’s civil society, which aspires to to be part of the Twenty-seven.
According to European diplomacy, the foreign agents law may lead to “negative consequences” for the “many Georgians” who benefit from the work of various organizations that may now be banned for their foreign funding.
“This law is incompatible with EU values and norms. It goes against Georgia’s stated goal of joining the European Union, as supported by a large majority of Georgian citizens. Its final adoption may have serious repercussions on our relations.” , has warned the European External Action Service.
Thus, European diplomacy has urged the Government of Georgia to maintain its commitment “to the promotion of Democracy, the Rule of Law and Human Rights”, and has appealed to the right of the population to demonstrate peacefully.
This last affirmation is in response to the images of tension registered this afternoon in front of the Georgian Parliament, where the Police have tried to disperse protesters against the legislation with water cannons and tear gas.
The situation is such that, despite calls from the Ministry of the Interior for the population to abandon the concentration, the country’s president, Salome Zurabishvili, has suspended her agenda in New York and has issued a statement in support of the protesters.
