On Tuesday, May 14, Georgia's parliament passed a "foreign agents" bill, sparking mass protests and opposition criticism accusing the ruling party of advancing Moscow's interests. The law mandates NGOs and media receiving foreign funding to register and submit annual financial declarations. Recent protests in Tbilisi revealed widespread public dissatisfaction. Western governments increased pressure on Georgian authorities, expressing concerns about the law's impact on EU integration, even considering visa regime revisions. The U.S. State Department warned the "foreign agents" law could lead to financial sanctions on Tbilisi, while NATO headquarters indicated such government actions undermine Georgia's NATO membership prospects. For insights into why the Georgian government pushed through this controversial law, read the Apostrophe article.
Georgia faces potential financial sanctions due to the parliament's passage of the "foreign agents" law.
During his visit to Tbilisi on May 14, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Jim O'Brien announced that the United States provided Georgia with $390 million in aid. This funding is allocated for military defense, economic development, institution building, and strengthening civil society.
‘This aid could be at risk if the strategic partnership changes and the U.S. is seen as an adversary rather than an ally,’ O'Brien added, hinting at hostile statements from some Georgian officials.
On the same day the U.S. official was in Tbilisi, Georgia's parliament passed the final reading of the ‘Foreign Influence Transparency’ bill, also known as the ‘foreign agents’ law. The bill was supported by 84 out of 116 registered deputies, with only 30 voting against it.
According to the bill, nonprofit legal entities and media outlets receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad must register as ‘organizations carrying out the interests of a foreign power.’ Upon registration, they must disclose the received funding.
Organizations subject to this law are required to file an annual financial declaration. The bill grants the Ministry of Justice the authority to identify these organizations.
Penalties are imposed for failure to register or to file the required declaration.
President Salome Zurabishvili announced she would veto the bill, while Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze indicated that if specific legal concerns are raised, discussions will begin, and the ruling team is prepared to engage in debate within the framework of the veto.
In reality, all of this appears to be political maneuvering by the government, which hastily approved the ‘foreign agents’ bill in a ‘turbo mode’ on the morning of May 13 before its final third reading. The ruling party, ‘Georgian Dream,’ is founded by the country's wealthiest businessman, Bidzina Ivanishvili, who effectively controls the government through his affiliated politicians. Despite formally declaring pro-European aspirations, Ivanishvili is believed to be taking actions aimed at returning Georgia to the sphere of Kremlin geopolitical influence.
‘Judging by how Ivanishvili and his associates are pushing through this law, the US and the West in general have few tools left to counter it. If previously Putin and Ivanishvili were playing with the idea of a 'neutral' Georgia, now, perhaps, the Kremlin's directive is to put an end to all this 'liberalism.' As a token of gratitude for this, Moscow may allow Tbilisi to 'unite' with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which, by the way, could be another step towards finally pulling Georgia into the 'Russian world,'’ says political analyst Petro Oleshchuk to Apostrophe.
Two days earlier, the largest protest against the adoption of this law took place in Tbilisi, gathering tens of thousands of people.
The opposition is convinced that the ‘foreign agents’ law is a tool for realizing Moscow's expansionist interests. In Georgia, there have also been reports of threatening calls to participants of protests against the law and several serious attacks on opposition politicians and activists.
‘The Georgian authorities deliberately provoke protests in the country only to suppress them later. Perhaps even with the involvement of Russians, similar to what happened in Belarus in the summer of 2020, which would signify a complete turnaround of Tbilisi towards Moscow. Considering Ivanishvili's compliance and the level of recklessness in the Kremlin, events could unfold according to the most negative scenario,’ added Petro Oleshchuk.
In light of the preparation for the adoption of the ‘foreign agents’ bill, the Georgian government faced increased pressure from Western governments. EU ambassadors discussed how the adoption of the controversial bill could affect Georgia's European integration. Unofficially, it was reported that the EU was considering the possibility of revising Georgia's visa-free regime in case of the bill's adoption.
‘Such statements may serve as an argument for Georgian youth and pro-European citizens, but there is another significant segment of Georgian society and business that relies heavily on agricultural exports, Russian tourists, and overall economic ties with Russia. This part of society made 'Georgian Dream' the ruling party in 2020. Now, the country's authorities are polarizing society for the long term, dividing those who support European values from those who need to do business with Russians,’ political scientist and international relations analyst Volodymyr Volya tells to Apostrophe.
More than 30 Members of the European Parliament called for suspending Georgia's candidate status for EU membership, and 12 EU country ministers requested the European Commission urgently explain the implications of the bill's adoption for Georgia's European integration. Ministers from France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Ireland addressed EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell and Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi.
They urgently requested information on how the adoption of the ‘Foreign Influence Transparency’ law in Georgia would affect the fulfillment of the nine recommendations required for the next stage of European integration.
The ministers emphasized that the actions of the Georgian authorities cast doubt on the country's European future and that the law is further evidence of the deteriorating situation regarding democracy and human rights in Georgia.
‘Of course, all these calls went unheard because Ivanishvili and his associates in the government and parliament demonstratively refuse even to communicate with Western politicians and diplomats. Ivanishvili publicly calls the governments of the US and EU the 'global party of war.' Judging by the style of their statements, the corresponding guidelines for 'Georgian Dream' and its leadership were written in Moscow,’ Volodymyr Volya added.
After the adoption of the controversial law, similar concerns were voiced at NATO headquarters. Alliance spokesperson Farah Dakhlalla, on behalf of the entire bloc, stated that the adoption of the ‘Foreign Influence Transparency’ law is incompatible with the country's Euro-Atlantic course and directly affects its prospects for NATO membership.
A better gift for the Kremlin is hard to imagine: the Georgian authorities are doing everything to make the collective West seemingly abandon the integration of Tbilisi into the EU and NATO.
