West calls for repeal of Georgia’s “agent law”

The pressure on Georgia’s government is growing: After the adoption of the controversial law to control media and NGOs, representatives of the EU, the USA and NATO are calling on Tbilisi to change course. The EU is threatening consequences.

Georgia would like to become an EU member, but with the controversial “agent law”, which Parliament passed yesterday, the country is blocking its path to the Union, according to EU representatives. “The adoption of this law has a negative impact on Georgia’s progress towards the EU,” Foreign Affairs Officer Josep Borrell and Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi said in a joint statement.

The decision about the further direction lies in Georgia’s hands. “We urge the Georgian authorities to withdraw the law, maintain their commitment to EU accession and advance the necessary reforms outlined in the nine steps.”

“The law does not comply with EU norms and values”

According to the requirements of the 27 member states, further steps towards accession require “that human rights are protected and that civil society and the media can act freely,” emphasized the EU representatives. Measures against polarization and disinformation are also necessary.

Regarding the law “on the transparency of foreign influence” passed yesterday, it said that the EU had “clearly and repeatedly made it clear that the spirit and content of the law do not correspond to the fundamental norms and values ​​of the EU.” The planned regulation, according to which foreign-funded non-governmental organizations and media must register as representatives of “foreign interests”, would undermine the work of civil society and independent media and restrict the fundamental rights of freedom of association and freedom of expression.

As the Financial Times reported, the EU wants to put the further process on Georgia’s path to membership on hold if the law actually comes into force. The country has been a candidate for membership since the end of December 2023.

Criticism also from NATO and the UN

NATO also criticized the adoption of the law as a step in the wrong direction. This will take the country further away from European and Euro-Atlantic integration, a spokeswoman for the alliance wrote on Platform X. “We urgently call on Georgia to change its course and respect the right to peaceful protest.”

The UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk expressed deep regret over the passage of the law. “Unfortunately, the impact on the right to freedom of expression and assembly could now be significant.” Türk criticized the law as being too broad. It risks stigmatizing non-governmental organizations, which could find themselves confronted with “an atmosphere of mistrust, fear and hostility.” In addition, the registration requirement could have a deterrent effect on NGOs and significantly restrict their activities.

The law has been causing mass protests on the streets of Tbilisi and other Georgian cities for weeks. Critics see clear parallels in this with the law against “foreign agents” in Russia, which enables the authorities there to take massive action against critical media and organizations.

Pressure also from the USA

The US State Department had previously called on the government in Tbilisi to abandon the political course taken by the law. “Our view is that the Georgian government needs to change the course it is on,” said U.S. State Department spokesman Vedant Patel.

Patel also pointed to polls showing that 80 percent of Georgians would like their country to join the European Union. The government in Tbilisi also expressed its desire for this and for relationships with transatlantic organizations such as NATO. “Things like this law don’t align with those goals,” Patel said.

The White House also expressed deep concern about the passage of the law. Spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the US was obliged to fundamentally rethink its relations with Georgia in light of this development. The US government is expecting a veto from President Salome Zurabishvili. “We’ll see what Parliament does then,” said Jean-Pierre.

The pro-European president had already announced that she would veto the law. However, the ruling party has enough members in parliament to overrule her. Zurabishvili wants to meet today with the foreign ministers from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Iceland.

German foundations are waiting for developments

The large German political foundations that run the risk of falling under the new law first want to wait for further developments in Georgia before deciding on the consequences for their work in the country. The Heinrich Böll Foundation, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation are represented in Georgia with a total of around 50 employees.

When asked by the KNA news agency, a representative of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation said that until Zurabishvili had vetoed it and parliament had not overruled her, it was still too early to make a reliable statement about the impact of the law on the foundation. In principle, the wording in the legal text is very vague and it is unclear to what extent it will affect the foundation, the spokesman added. “We will definitely continue to operate in Georgia and are not currently considering scaling back our programs.”

The office manager of the Böll Foundation, Sonja Katharina Schiffers, also spoke of a very dynamic situation. It remains to be seen whether international pressure and public protests in the country could persuade the ruling party to make substantial changes. The Böll Foundation will continue to support its partners in the country as much as possible.