resolution motion, 22 April 2024
On the attempts to reintroduce a foreign agent law in Georgia and its restrictions on civil society
Motion B-9-2024-0248 · (2024/2703(RSP))
on behalf of the PPE Group · Rapporteur: Miriam Lexmann, Michael Gahler, Rasa Juknevičienė, David McAllister, Andrius Kubilius, Isabel WiselerLima, Traian Băsescu, Vladimír Bilčík, Andrzej Halicki, Sandra Kalniete, Leopoldo López Gil, Antonio LópezIstúriz White, Michaela Šojdrová, Eugen Tomac
AI:In short
The European Parliament expresses grave concern about Georgia's draft law on agents of foreign influence, which it says is incompatible with EU values and democratic principles. It calls for suspending accession negotiations if the law is adopted, for sanctions on Georgian MPs who vote for it, and for making EU financial assistance conditional on its withdrawal. It also asks the Commission to prepare a mid-year report on Georgia's nine steps and appeals to the Georgian Dream party to withdraw the law.
Key points
- Expresses grave concern about the reintroduction of the draft law on agents of foreign influence by the Georgian Dream party.
- Considers the legislation incompatible with EU values and democratic principles, violating steps 1 and 9 of the Commission's recommendation.
- Believes adoption would damage Georgia's pro-European path and that decisions on accession negotiations should be suspended while such law is in force.
- Warns the law would undermine independent NGOs and media, weakening checks and balances in Georgia.
- Stands with the Georgian people protesting against the draft law and their aspirations for a free and prosperous country.
- Calls for EU sanctions on Georgian Parliament members who vote for the law and on Bidzina Ivanishvili.
- Calls on the Commission to make all financial assistance to Georgia conditional on eliminating the law if adopted.
- Requests a mid-year report on the nine steps and an exceptional early October annual report.
- Appeals to the Georgian Dream party to withdraw the law to avoid jeopardising Georgia's European future.
Who is affected
- Georgian civil society organisations and media outlets, which would be restricted by the law.
- Georgian Dream party and Georgian authorities, who are urged to withdraw the law.
- EU institutions, which are called on to impose sanctions and condition financial assistance.
Figures and deadlines
Written by AI from the full text · every figure comes from the text · ¶ opens the paragraph · 4 Sept 2026 · Report a problem
Full text
Text 23 paragraphs
B90248/2024
European Parliament resolution on the attempts to reintroduce a foreign agent law in Georgia and its restrictions on civil society
(2024/2703(RSP))
The European Parliament,
–having regard to its previous resolutions on Georgia, in particular its resolution of 14 December 2022 on the implementation of the EU Association Agreement with Georgia,
–having regard to the Association Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and Georgia, of the other part,
–having regard to the Commission communication of 17 June 2022 entitled ‘Commission opinion on Georgia’s application for membership of the European Union’ (COM(2022)0405) and to the European Council conclusions of 23 and 24 June 2022 on the membership applications of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia,
–having regard to the Commission communication of 8 November 2023 entitled ‘2023 Communication on EU Enlargement Policy’ (COM(2023)0690) recommending that Georgia be granted candidate status,
–having regard to the European Council conclusions of 15 December 2023 granting Georgia candidate status,
–having regard to Rule 132(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A.whereas candidate status was granted to Georgia on the understanding that the relevant steps set out in the Commission recommendation of 8 November 2023 would be taken; whereas those steps include fighting disinformation against the EU and its values (step 1) and making sure that civil society can operate freely (step 9);
B.whereas on 4 April 2024, the ruling Georgian Dream party announced that it would once again propose an ‘agents of foreign influence act’ to parliament; whereas according to the draft law, organisations receiving at least 20 % of their funding from abroad would have two months to register themselves as ‘organisations pursuing the interests of a foreign power’ and submit annual financial declarations on funds received from foreign sources, as well as disclose their collaborators and informants if requested to do so; whereas failure to register would constitute an administrative offence, punishable by fines of up to GEL 25 000 (EUR 8 700); whereas the Georgian Ministry of Justice would be empowered by the law to conduct thorough investigations of those organisations in order to ensure that they are respecting the law;
Read the rest (11 paragraphs)
C.whereas the draft law is modelled on a similar law that was adopted in the Russian Federation in 2012; whereas similar legislation was recently adopted in Kyrgyzstan and Abkhazia;
D.whereas the Georgian Dream party attempted to adopt this law last spring, but had to withdraw it following mass protests and public condemnation both domestically and internationally and because it did not want to jeopardise Georgia’s chances of being granted EU candidate status;
E.whereas now, as in 2023, the law is considered controversial and has sparked similar mass protests and mass condemnation; whereas Georgian non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and civil society organisations believe that the law, if adopted, will target organisations and media critical of the government and those which monitor human rights and the rule of law in the country; whereas it will give the authorities a powerful tool to discredit and curtail independent voices, thereby threatening press freedom and freedom of expression, and it will decrease any genuine transparency of public life in Georgia;
1.Expresses grave concerns about the reintroduction of the draft law on agents of foreign influence by the Georgian Dream party in parliament; considers that the legislation is incompatible in its letter and spirit with EU values and democratic principles; highlights that the draft law violates at least two steps (1 and 9) contained in the Commission’s recommendation on Georgia’s candidate status;
2.Expresses alarm that the adoption of a Russian-style agents of foreign influence act would seriously damage Georgia’s pro-European path and believes that as long as such legislation is part of the Georgian legal order, any decisions leading to recommending the launch of accession negotiations should be permanently suspended; considers that through the very act of reintroducing the draft law, in violation of public commitments made in 2023 by the authorities, Georgia’s reputation is damaged and its Euro-Atlantic aspirations are jeopardised as the draft law puts Georgia on the same path as the Russian Federation and other like-minded countries;
3.Is worried that the proposed agents of foreign influence act would undermine the work of independent NGOs and media outlets, which are the best and most effective entities for scrutinising and monitoring the authorities’ activities; warns that if the law is adopted, it will weaken the system of checks and balances in Georgia;
4.Believes that such legislation is contrary to the aspirations of the Georgian people; stands with the people of Georgia who are protesting against this draft law and stands by their aspirations to live in a prosperous country, free of corruption, which fully respects political freedom, free media and an open society and protects human rights;
5.Considers that, if the legislation is adopted, the EU should sanction all members of the Georgian Parliament who voted in favour of it; reiterates, further, its call on the Council to consider imposing sanctions on the honorary leader of the Georgian Dream party, Bidzina Ivanishvili; calls on the Commission to make all financial assistance to Georgia conditional on eliminating this law from the Georgian legal order, should it be adopted;
6.Believes that, given the possible negative effects of the agents of foreign influence act being adopted, the Commission should prepare a mid-year report on the implementation of the nine steps, and that the annual report should be presented exceptionally at the beginning of October;
7.Appeals to the Georgian Dream party to refrain from further pursuing the adoption of the agents of foreign influence act and to withdraw it, in order to prevent jeopardising the prospects of a European future for Georgia;
8.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the President, Government and Parliament of Georgia.