On May 28, despite months of civil protest, Georgian Dream’s Parliament overrode the President’s veto and adopted the law “On Transparency of Foreign Influence”. The law, presented by the Georgian Dream faction and vetoed by President Salome Zurabishvili, was supported by 84 votes.
The fact was met by a flood of messages of disappointment from Georgia’s international partners.
“With the ruling party using its majority in parliament to override the presidential veto of the ‘Russian law,’ the EU path of Georgia has for the time being come to an end,” said the Co-Chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations, Carl Bildt.
“The law on ‘foreign influence’ does not correspond to the values of the European Union. If the law comes into force, it will affect Georgia’s path to the European Union,” Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security Affairs, wrote on X. “We will consider the EU’s response and make a decision at the Foreign Affairs Council in June. The October elections will be a test of Georgia’s commitment to its future in the European Union,” Borrell added.
“Dear Georgian friends, I have just one message to you: You are not only fighting for Georgia, you are fighting for Europe. You are fighting for freedom and democracy. WHEN THEY GO LOW, WE GO HIGH!” Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the German Parliament (Bundestag), Michael Roth, wrote on X.
The United Kingdom noted that it is “extremely concerned” about the veto of the bill on transparency of foreign influence.
“We still believe that the draft law is a backward step and will harm Georgia’s efforts on the way to integration with Euro-Atlantic institutions,” the British Embassy said in a statement.
“We are disappointed to see that the Parliament of Georgia overrode the veto of the President of Georgia on the anti-democratic “foreign agents” bill, although it was not unexpected,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
“We saw tens of thousands of Georgians protesting this bill last week, one of the largest protests in Georgia’s history, and we know that many Georgians have made their opposition clear. This legislation requires civil society organizations to register as agents of a foreign government simply because they receive 20% of their funding from abroad. Civil society organizations play an important role in maintaining democracy, and creating this burden undermines their ability to do so. Suppressing civil society is what authoritarian governments do, and it is a weapon and tactic to suppress dissent. That’s not what democracies do, so we’re disappointed to see what happened,” Jean-Pierre added.
American Senator Jim Risch claimed that, “With this move, the Georgian government has taken a firm step away from building a free and democratic society. While the US will continue to support the Georgian people, their government should no longer enjoy the support of the United States.”
“Disappointed but not surprised by Georgia Dream’s decision to override the President’s veto on the foreign agent’s law,” wrote US Senator Jeanne Shaheen. “My Georgian People’s Act would ensure accountability for those endangering democracy in Georgia and ignoring the overwhelming wishes of the Georgian people.”
Germany’s Ambassador to Georgia, Peter Fischer, noted that, “Georgia has passed a law that does not comply with EU standards, and as long as this law is functioning, we will not open accession negotiations. If you want to join the union, but at the same time criticize it as dangerous and call it a “global war party,” then we should ask ourselves if we can communicate normally. Are we partners or not?”
“It is unfortunate that Georgia’s leaders are choosing to forgo the steps needed to advance Georgia in the Western direction that its people want,” Spokesperson for the Department of State, Matthew Miller, said Monday.
“Georgian parliament voted to override the Georgian president’s veto of an anti-democratic foreign influence bill that fails to conform to European norms, effectively turning the bill into law. The United States condemns this action. In passing this law, the ruling Georgian Dream Party moved the country further away from the European integration path and ignored the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of the Georgian people who have taken to the streets for weeks to oppose this law,” Miller stated.
“Georgian Dream has disregarded the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission’s legal assessment, and that of Georgia’s closest partners, who made clear their concerns that the law would stigmatize civil society and media and limit fundamental freedoms. The ruling party’s actions and anti-Western rhetoric threaten Georgia’s democratic trajectory, future economic security, EU membership, and also put the US-Georgia relationship at risk,” he added.
Last week, Secretary Blinken announced that anyone who undermines democratic processes or institutions in Georgia, as well as their immediate family members, may be found ineligible for US visas under a newly announced policy precluding travel to the United States. The United States has also launched a comprehensive review of the bilateral cooperation between the United States and Georgia.
“As Secretary Blinken said last week, we will take Georgia Dream’s actions into account as we decide our own,” Miller noted. “The United States continues to stand by the Georgian people as they work for a democratic and Western future. It is unfortunate that Georgia’s leaders are choosing to forgo the steps needed to advance Georgia in the Western direction that its people want.”
By Team GT
