EU: Adopted Laws Erode Foundations of Democracy in Georgia

The European Union is challenging the foreign agents law passed by the Georgian parliament on Tuesday. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas and EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said the law was incompatible with EU values.

The European Commission on Wednesday criticized the new law adopted in Georgia on "foreign agents" and stressed that it is "fundamentally incompatible" with the values of the European Union.

New laws, including the Law on Registration of Foreign Agents and the Law on Broadcasting, adopted by the Georgian Parliament without the necessary public consultations, give additional tools to the Georgian authorities to suppress dissent and tighten their policy of repression, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaia Kallas and Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said in a statement.

The Center for Independent Journalism, along with other non-governmental organizations, are calling for the “untimely” withdrawal of the bill on the “status of foreign agents” registered in parliament by six deputies of the Bloc of Communists and Socialists (BCS). The authors of the legislative initiative, urged to stop promoting projects “harmful to freedom of the press, democracy and the rule of law” in the future, reject the criticism.

The EU High Representative, Kaia Kallas, and the European Commissioner, Marta Cos, are responding to the recent legislative changes adopted by the Georgian Dream. Brussels says that the laws, approved by the ruling party in an expedited manner and “without public discussions,” are repressive in nature. The EU criticizes the “Foreign Agents Registration Act,” which the Georgian Dream calls “a literal translation of the American FARA.” Brussels al…

EU: Adopted Laws Erode Foundations of Democracy in Georgia

In a joint statement on April 2, European Commission VP/HR Kaja Kallas and European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos criticized the recent adoption by the Georgian Dream parliament of the Foreign Agents Registration Act and amendments to the Law on Broadcasting. The EU senior representatives said the measures have been passed without adequate public consultation and give Georgian authorities additional tools “to suppress dissent and tighte…