The European Union expresses concern over the entry into force of the law on "foreign agents" in Georgia. On August 1, in an interview with the Spanish publication Europa Press, the press speaker of the EU High Representative Peter Stano said that the controversial norm initiated and adopted by the Georgian Dream against the background of mass protests "represents a step backward" on the path of the country's European integration. Stano noted that this could be the reason for the suspension of aid to the Georgian government.
"We are considering suspending our financial assistance to the Georgian government," Peter Stano said and noted that the EU has already frozen 30 million euros that were to be allocated to support the state's defense sector, under the "European Peace Mechanism."
The law "On Transparency of Foreign Influence" came into full force in Georgia on August 1. As Rati Bregadze, head of the country's Ministry of Justice, stated earlier, NGOs and media outlets can apply for registration as "conductors of foreign power interests."
According to the law, such an obligation already applies to NGOs and media outlets that received more than 20% of foreign funding by the end of 2023. They must apply to the National Public Registry Agency within a month.
Many organizations covered by the law have said they refuse to register as "foreign agents." They have declared their intention to use all legal levers.
After the law was passed, some EU and U.S. aid to Georgia was frozen indefinitely. Georgia's EU accession process has been effectively suspended, Western diplomats and politicians said.
Reprinted from https://www.ekhokavkaza.com/
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