The proposal aims to curb the influence of foreign agents, but critics fear it could be used to silence government opposition. Furthermore, the new legislation could hamper Georgia’s accession to the European Union. The president of the country has announced that, if necessary, he will block the law with a veto.
The government’s movement is special, believes Georgia expert Wouter Zweers of the Clingendael Institute, because that government has always presented itself as “pro-European” since 2012. “But it seems they are moving more and more towards Russia.”
“Russian law”
The controversial legislation would force organizations to disclose financial transactions from abroad. If more than 20% of their funding comes from abroad, they can be classified as “foreign agents”. The law is also called “Russian law” because Russia also introduced a similar law earlier to silence critics. Some EU leaders have expressed concern about the new law. This would be contrary to European values and integration, explains Zweers.
“If this law is approved, and it appears to be a matter of formality, there will be a very tough reaction from the EU, as it has already warned. Then EU membership is even further away,’ says Zweers.