“The law, in its current form, risks having a chilling effect on civil society and media organizations, with negative consequences for the many Georgians who benefit from their work,” said Europe’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell. , when Georgian Dream first introduced the bill. “This law is incompatible with EU values and standards,” he added.
Attempts to pass the Foreign Agents Act coincide with sweeping new legislation introduced by the government that would ban what it describes as the promotion of “domestic or intimate same-sex relationships.” In practice, it would prohibit same-sex couples from marrying, ban recognition of gender identity, and could ban public gatherings like pride parades.
While Georgian Dream has publicly committed to securing full EU membership, the country’s progress lags behind that of Ukraine and Moldova, both of which have started EU membership negotiations. membership with Brussels. The South Caucasus country has also resisted efforts to impose sanctions on Russia – in effect strengthening its trade ties with Moscow since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“The Georgian Dream will claim that achieving candidate status is its achievement, but everyone who deals with Georgia knows that is not true,” the German MEP and member of the Affairs Committee told POLITICO foreigners Viola von Cramon-Taubadel, adding that this includes “the population, the citizens”. It’s civil society that’s afraid of being left behind, of being left to Putin.”
One of the rare foreign capitals to defend this project is Moscow. Welcoming the move, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said last week that “no sovereign state wants interference from other countries in domestic politics.” Enforcement of Russia’s “foreign agents” law has been stepped up in the two years since the start of the war in Ukraine, and there are now an estimated 1,000 political prisoners behind bars, many of whom are civil society figures and activists.
Politico
