This law, if adopted, will not help Georgia to get closer to the European Union, – EU ambassador to Georgia, Paweł Herczynski, said after his meeting with President Salome Zurabishvili on Wednesday.
“The EU reacted very quickly to the introduction of the draft law. Within 24 hours, on April 4, the spokesperson of the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security issued a statement. Yesterday evening, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, stated his position, and I think his position is loud and clear. This law, if adopted, will not help Georgia get closer to the European Union; on the contrary, it will cause complications, because this law clearly does not comply with the norms and values of the European Union.
“President Salome Zurabishvili invited all EU ambassadors, as well as representatives of the USA and Great Britain to the meeting, where she shared her concerns regarding the draft law on the transparency of foreign influence,” Herczynski said.
The proposed legislation may limit the freedom of civil society and media organizations to work freely
EU High Representative Josep Borrell and EU Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi: “Georgia has an active civil society that contributes to the country’s successful progress towards EU membership. The proposed legislation may limit the freedom of civil society and media organizations to work freely, as well as freedom of expression and unfairly stigmatize organizations that benefit Georgian citizens. The European Union calls on Georgia to refrain from adopting such legislation that might compromise Georgia’s path to the European Union – a path supported by the vast majority of Georgian citizens.”
Charles Michel, President of the European Council: “The Georgian people have chosen the European path, and in response, the European Council granted Georgia the candidate status last December. Let me be clear: The draft Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence is not consistent with Georgia’s EU aspiration and its accession trajectory and will bring Georgia further away from the EU and not closer.”
Georgians know the real threat to their country comes not from the West, but from another direction
Spokesperson for the US Department of State, Matthew Miller: “We remain deeply concerned that this draft legislation would harm civil society organizations working to improve the lives of Georgian citizens and would derail Georgia from its European path. We are also concerned that this draft legislation would impede independent media organizations working to provide access for Georgian citizens to high-quality information. But as this remains draft legislation at present, I’m going to leave it there and not talk about any implications should it actually be passed into law.”
Viola Von Cramon: “The EU Parliament’s position on the Georgian Dream’s Russian law is very clear: It jeopardizes Georgia’s EU future and EU candidacy. We stated this in the letter 10 days ago, we will state it in the EU Resolutions. The draft law only serves the Oligarch and his handlers in the Kremlin.”
MEP Anna Fotyga: “Georgians are well aware that the real threats to their country do not come from the West, but from another particular direction. It is clear why so many are standing against the ‘foreign agents’ bill, which is not intended to counter the growing Russian influence in the country. I still hope that the government will refrain from taking steps that may derail the country from its Euro-Atlantic path.
Adam Kinzinger, former US politician: “Today, Georgia continues its struggle for freedom against Moscow’s puppet government. We stand by the Georgian people.”
The draft law will bring Georgia further away from the EU and not closer
European Parliamentarian Petras Austrevicius: “Something is fundamentally wrong within the Georgia Dream ranks, otherwise this country is about ‘Back to USSR.’ Spreading fake news and disinformation is not bringing Georgia close to the EU.”
Claude Kern (France, ALDE) and Edite Estrela (Portugal, SOC): “The reintroduction of this so-called Foreign Agents Law, whose withdrawal last year we warmly welcomed, is of deep concern. What we said the first time this law was introduced remains valid for this proposal: there are serious questions about the draft law’s compatibility with European democratic and human rights standards and norms. We therefore urge the authorities to withdraw this draft from the parliamentary agenda.”
MEP Michael Galler: “When you watch the demonstrations in Georgia against the ‘foreign agents’ law, which copies the widely repressive Russian legislation, you get the impression that the real ‘agents’ of foreign interests are in the ruling party, and not in targeted non-governmental organizations.”
Boris Akunin (Grigori Chkhartishvili), writer: “We should be afraid not of political opposition, but of Putinism. Let us be afraid of an invasion not only from the outside, but from the inside. That’s what’s happening now. Putinism is trying to nest in your homes – at the initiative of your own government. It will eat at Georgia like cancer. First, “foreign agents”, then “fifth column”, then “terrorists and extremists”, and then Georgia will have no other friends except Putin’s Russia.”
By Team GT
