The Georgian Parliament will review a legislative package aiming to remove non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from the public decision-making process. The amendments that the ruling party, Georgian Dream, and People’s Power proposed cover 14 different laws and will be discussed by the Parliamentary Committee on Procedural Issues and Rules.
For the time being, parliamentary procedures and legal frameworks mandate NGOs to participate in public decision-making, and the proposed changes carry the risk to eliminate such this requirement, which is crucial for the country’s EU aspirations. “The existing reality has shown that the mandatory participation of NGOs does not serve the intended purpose,” representatives of the ruling party declared.
The authors of the bill claim that foreign-funded organizations have excessive influence on the country’s public governance. “A significant portion of NGOs receive funding from abroad, meaning they represent the interests of their donors rather than the local community,” they stated. Interestingly, they started citing ‘recent global developments’ surrounding USAID and its functionality, using it as an exemplary argument on how NGO involvement hinders efficient state management.
If the bill is passed, the amendments will push NGOs to withdraw from public decision-making processes.
