The Parliamentary Committee on Legal Issues considered the Foreign Agents Registration Act in the third and final hearing.
The representatives of the Georgian Dream faction claim that “the Georgian Parliament is adopting the Georgian version of the US FARA.”
The draft law regulates the issues of registering an entity as an agent of a foreign principal. The Anti-Corruption Bureau will be entrusted with the enforcement of the law.
The draft law defines the concepts of an agent of a foreign principal and a foreign power. The draft law regulates the following issues: the issue of ensuring the publicity of the application for registration as an agent of a foreign principal and other relevant documents; the issue of submitting an annual financial declaration by an entity registered as an agent of a foreign principal; the issue of canceling the registration of an entity registered as an agent of a foreign principal; the issue of conducting monitoring to identify an agent of a foreign principal or to verify compliance with the requirements specified in the draft law.
Refusal to register as an agent of a foreign principal and failure to comply with the requirements specified in the law will result in criminal liability.
On May 14, 2024, Georgia’s Parliament approved the “On Transparency of Foreign Influence” bill in its third and final reading. The legislation mandates that non-commercial organizations and media outlets receiving over 20% of their funding from foreign sources register as “organizations that carry out the interests of foreign forces” and submit annual financial disclosures. The Ministry of Justice is authorized to monitor compliance, with fines imposed for non-registration or failure to declare foreign income.
The bill’s passage sparked widespread protests across Georgia. Critics argue that the law mirrors Russian legislation used to suppress dissent and could hinder Georgia’s aspirations to join the European Union.
5th President Salome Zurabishvili vetoed the bill; however, the ruling Georgian Dream party overrode the veto.
Despite domestic opposition and international criticism, including warnings from EU officials about potential negative impacts on Georgia’s EU integration, the ruling party maintains that the law is necessary to ensure transparency and protect national sovereignty.
