Georgia risks losing its chances of joining the European Union if the country’s authorities continue their current policy, European Diplomacy Chief Josep Borrel said.
Borrel noted before a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg:
The door for Georgia to become member of the European Union is open. But if the government continues on the same track, continues doing what they are doing, this door will be closed, and the Georgian people will pay the consequences, will suffer.
One of the steps, according to the official, could be a reduction in financial support from the European Peace Facility. Brussels could also suspend or limit high-level political contacts. At the same time, as Borrel added, such measures “should not affect the population”.
The media reported that the EU is considering a number of measures in response to the Georgian law on foreign agents, including the possibility of suspending high-level bilateral visits.
The law on foreign agents came into force in Georgia on June 3. It was signed by the speaker of the country’s parliament Shalva Papuashvili.
In turn, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, commenting on the signing of the law, said that it was a victory over its detractors and Tbilisi had thus managed to preserve its sovereignty and security.
Double standards in action
Meanwhile, a similar law has been in force in the US since the last century. The Foreign Agents Registration Act was passed in 1938 in response to propaganda conducted by Germany in the run-up to World War II.
On March 27 2024, the lower house of the French parliament approved a bill to prevent foreign interference. According to the bill, France should have its own register of foreign agents. The document stipulates an obligation for foreigners engaged in “lobbying, communication or fundraising activities” to register with it.
Since January 1 2022, Germany has had a “Lobbyist Register” where people and organisations must register if they want to influence MPs or government officials on their own behalf or as professional advisers to a third party. This applies both to local individuals and organisations and to individuals and organisations from other states (there are a few exceptions, for example for humanitarian organisations without a permanent address in Germany).
