The European Union foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has warned that a proposed Georgian law on “transparency of foreign influence” would seriously affect the country’s ties with the EU.
The draft law has sparked protests in Georgia, with critics claiming it represents an authoritarian shift in the country. Borrell said that the legislation was a “very bad development” for Georgia and its people, and that it could further damage the country’s already strained relationship with the EU.
The proposed “foreign agents” bill, backed by the ruling party, has led to demonstrations in Georgia, with protesters claiming that it resembles Russia’s legislation that has been used to crack down on dissent. Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in the capital, Tbilisi, last week, with police using tear gas and water cannons against the protesters. At one point, a protester threw a Molotov cocktail at a cordon of riot police, according to television footage. The Georgian president, Salome Zourabichvili, has expressed support for the demonstrators and vowed to veto the legislation.
Georgia has faced mounting criticism in recent years over its perceived backsliding on democracy, damaging its ties with Brussels. In 2012, Russia adopted a law that allows authorities to take action against NGOs, media outlets, and others deemed “foreign agents”. The label has been used extensively by the authorities in Russia against political opponents, journalists, and human rights activists accused of conducting foreign-funded political activities. According to recently amended Russian legislation, anyone “under foreign influence” or receiving support from abroad — not just foreign money — can be declared a “foreign agent”.
Georgia has applied for EU membership, but EU leaders have granted formal candidate status to Kyiv and Chisinau, while saying that Tbilisi must implement a number of reforms first. Plans to join NATO and the EU are enshrined in Georgia’s constitution and are supported by at least 80% of the population, according to opinion polls. However, Georgia has been criticised by rights activists who have accused the country’s authorities of drifting towards the Kremlin.
The proposed legislation in Georgia has been described as “Kremlin-inspired” by the US embassy in the country, which has said that it is incompatible with Georgia’s desire to join the EU. The embassy added that the legislation raised questions about “the ruling party’s commitment to Euro-Atlantic integration”. The worsening health of the jailed former president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, has also come under criticism. Photo by Berdo Maghularia from Kutaisi, Georgia, Wikimedia commons.