Borrell: Georgia’s adoption of a law on foreign agents is contrary to the goal of joining the EU

If Georgia adopts a law on foreign agents, relations between Tbilisi and the European Union could have serious consequences, the document contradicts Georgia’s stated goal of joining the bloc, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said.

On March 7, the Georgian parliament adopted in the first reading the draft law “On transparency of foreign influence.” Against the backdrop of the vote, protests were held in Tbilisi. Borrell, in a statement published on the website of the European External Action Service (EEAS), calls the adoption of the bill “a very bad development for Georgia and its people.” In his opinion, the document in its current form risks having a deterrent effect on civil society and the media, which will have negative consequences for many Georgian citizens.

“This law is incompatible with the values ​​and standards of the EU. This is contrary to Georgia’s stated goal of EU membership, which is supported by the overwhelming majority of Georgian citizens. Its final adoption could have serious consequences for our relations,” the statement reads. statement.

The EU calls on Tbilisi to “support its commitment to promoting democracy, the rule of law and human rights and reminds of the people’s right to protest peacefully,” Borrell stressed.

On March 7 in Tbilisi against the backdrop of the adoption of the bill on foreign agents promotions passed protest, during which clashes broke out between police and protesters. Citizens opposed the adoption of one of the variants of the bill on foreign agents, which was introduced by a group of deputies close to the ruling party. 76 Georgian parliamentarians voted “for” the bill, 13 voted “against” (there are 139 deputies in the parliament). According to the project, people and organizations will be able to register as “agents of foreign influence” if their income is more than 20% received from abroad.

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, speaking earlier on March 7 in New York, criticized the bill and said it should not be passed. After the demonstrations and clashes with the police in Tbilisi, as well as the forceful dispersal of the protesters, Zurabishvili supported the protesters in a video message to the Georgian people. According to her, the bill is allegedly adopted “under the dictation of Moscow”, and she herself intends to impose a “veto” on it.

In February 2023, members of the Power of the People movement (a group of deputies who left the ruling Georgian Dream in 2022, but are part of the parliamentary majority) introduced two draft laws on foreign agents to parliament – “On the transparency of foreign influence” and “ On the registration of foreign agents.

The first option (it was approved on March 7, in Georgia it is compared with the Russian legislation on foreign agents) assumes that non-profit legal entities and the media will receive the status of agents of foreign influence if more than 20% of their income comes from abroad. They must undergo mandatory registration, and in case of refusal they can be fined, in addition, an investigation by the country’s Ministry of Justice may be initiated against them.

The second, tougher option is conditionally called “American” because of its proximity to the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA, adopted in the United States in 1938). According to it, the status of a foreign agent is provided not only for the media and non-governmental organizations, but also for other legal entities and individuals. Violations are fraught with not only administrative, but also criminal penalties: individuals may face imprisonment for up to five years. It was submitted to parliament after the opposition criticized the first bill. These two options, as they write in the Georgian press, are directed against the activities of Western NGOs and persons associated with them in the country.

The third version of the bill was submitted to the Georgian parliament on March 1, 2023, its authors are members of the opposition For Georgia party. As the authors of the bill explain, in this document, unlike the other two options, it is about countering Moscow’s influence.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova commented Borrell’s statement about the incompatibility of the law with EU values. “Now it’s clear why the United States is not yet in the European Union – this law has been in force there since 1938,” she wrote in her Telegram channel.