Despite weeks of mass protests, Georgia’s parliament has finally passed a law tightening controls on foreign-funded non-governmental organizations. The new regulation is seen as an anti-EU measure.
In a final step, MPs in Tbilisi on Tuesday overrode President Salome Zurabishvili’s veto of the law. Critics complain it is based on the Russian model and endangers the small ex-Soviet republic’s EU prospects.
Major protests against the law
The law was then eventually passed with 84 yes votes, only four MPs voted no. Zurabishvili vetoed the “foreign influence” bill after it was first passed two weeks ago. The issue has been sparking pro-European and anti-government mass protests in Georgia for weeks.
Critics see that the Georgian law has parallels with the law against ‘foreign agents’ in Russia, allowing authorities there to crack down massively on media and organizations critical of the government. The EU, UN and NATO called on the government in Tbilisi to change course.
Opposition sees ‘thoughtless politics’
With the controversial law, the ruling Georgian Dream party is tightening the liability of non-governmental organizations that receive more than 20 percent of their money from abroad. She justifies this with more transparency. On Tuesday, the debate in parliament was again characterized by strong accusations from the government and the opposition. Opposition parliamentarian Anna Tsitlidze accused the political leadership of a “ill-considered policy” that would block Georgia’s path to the EU and cause many problems for the country.
Georgia has been an official candidate for EU membership since December. However, the current government is accused of wanting to bring the former Soviet republic closer to Moscow again.
Source: Krone
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