{"id":18841,"date":"2024-05-10T06:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-10T06:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reinvantage-dev.eonserver.com\/?p=18841"},"modified":"2024-05-10T06:30:00","modified_gmt":"2024-05-10T06:30:00","slug":"why-georgias-foreign-agents-bill-is-so-problematic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reinvantage-dev.eonserver.com\/?p=18841","title":{"rendered":"Why Georgia\u2019s \u2018foreign agents\u2019 bill is so problematic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Georgia\u2019s government appears unaware, or unperturbed, by the threat its so-called \u2018foreign agents\u2019 bill poses to the country\u2019s investment climate, and its EU prospects.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This time, Georgia\u2019s government looks set to push through controversial legislation that would oblige certain nongovernmental groups and media outlets to register as \u201corganisations serving the interests of a foreign power\u201d.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The legislation, officially the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence, is nearly identical to a draft law the Georgian parliament tried to adopt in 2023 but withdrew following mass protests. In the new version, the ruling party, Georgian Dream, substituted the term \u201cagents of foreign influence\u201d with \u201corganisations serving the interests of a foreign power\u201d.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-background has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-cyan-bluish-gray-color is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/emerging-europe.com\/news\/in-parts-of-eastern-europe-and-central-asia-autocracy-and-weak-justice-systems-are-enabling-widespread-corruption\/\">In parts of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, autocracy and weak justice systems are enabling widespread corruption<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/emerging-europe.com\/news\/can-the-eu-accession-process-improve-lgbt-rights-in-candidate-countries\/\">Can the EU accession process improve LGBT+ rights in candidate countries?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/emerging-europe.com\/news\/bearing-fruit-vc-funding-growth-rates-in-caucasus-and-central-asia-now-surpass-nordics\/\">Bearing fruit: VC funding growth rates in Caucasus and Central Asia now surpass Nordics<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-background has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-cyan-bluish-gray-color is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>For the past month, Georgians have again been protesting\u2014in far greater numbers than 2023. The government\u2019s response has at times bordered on the brutal, suggesting that it has no intention of backing down once again.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There have been multiple cases of unjustified police use of violence to disperse protests. On May 9, Ucha Abashidze, a popular blogger, was arrested at his home in Tbilisi. Many others were pulled off the streets and arrested\u2014seemingly at random\u2014by police deploying tactics that resembled those used by the authorities in Belarus against protesters demonstrating against a rigged presidential election in 2020. The bill meanwhile has passed two readings and is scheduled for its final adoption the week of May 13. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cGeorgian parliamentarians and government officials formally defend the bill as providing transparency, but they make no secret of its intended purpose,\u201d says Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. \u201cBy labeling independent groups and media as serving foreign interests, they intend to marginalise and stifle critical voices in the country that are fundamental for any functioning democracy.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Human Rights Watch has called on Georgia\u2019s parliament to reject the bill at its final reading. \u201cThe government should ensure respect for fundamental rights to freedom of assembly and expression and effective investigations of all allegations of excessive use of police force,\u201d the organisation says.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If adopted, the bill will impose additional onerous, duplicative reporting requirements, inspections, and administrative liability, including fines of the equivalent of up to 9,300 US dollars for violations. Georgia\u2019s president, Salome Zourabichvili, once supported by Georgian Dream but long since in open opposition to the government, has vowed to veto it.&nbsp;On May 9, during Europe Day celebrations, she took to a stage in Tbilisi alongside many EU ambassadors to Georgia in a very public show of support for Georgia&#8217;s European path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The bill, and the government\u2019s response to the protests against it, have also prompted harsh criticism from many of Georgia\u2019s bilateral and international partners. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has warned that Georgia is at a crossroads.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The Georgian people want a European future for their country. It should stay the course on the road to Europe,&#8221; she said last month. Georgia was made an official EU candidate country in December 2023. Opinion polls regularly put support for both EU and NATO membership at above 70 per cent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Joseph Borrell, the European Union\u2019s foreign policy chief, and Oliv\u00e9r V\u00e1rhelyi, its commissioner for EU enlargement,&nbsp;have <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eeas.europa.eu\/eeas\/georgia-statement-high-representative-and-commissioner-neighbourhood-and-enlargement-adoption_en?channel=eeas_press_alerts&amp;date=2024-04-17&amp;newsid=0&amp;langid=en&amp;source=mail\" target=\"_blank\">jointly urged<\/a>&nbsp;authorities to withdraw the bill, which if adopted, they said would \u201cnegatively impact\u201d Georgia\u2019s EU candidacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">NGOs \u2018plotting to overthrow the government\u2019&nbsp;<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>The bill requires nongovernmental groups and print, online, and broadcast media that receive 20 per cent or more of their annual revenue\u2014either financial support or in-kind contributions\u2014from a \u201cforeign power\u201d to register with the Ministry of Justice as \u201corganisations serving the interest of a foreign power\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The bill\u2019s initiators and the ruling party leaders have made clear in public statements that they intend the law to be used against groups and media that criticise the government, advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT+) rights, or engage in other work that irritates the authorities. On May 8, Georgian Dream officials announced that they had begun to draw up a list of those considered to be Georgia&#8217;s foreign-funded enemies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze&nbsp;has justified&nbsp;the need for the bill by pointing to initiatives that criticise the authorities or challenge government policies, claiming that some civic groups tried to \u201corganise a revolution\u201d in 2020 and 2022, \u201cengage in LGBT+ propaganda,\u201d and \u201cdiscredit the police, judiciary, and the Georgian Orthodox Church\u201d.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2024\/05\/09\/georgia-foreign-influence-bill-threatens-rights\">According to Human Rights Watch<\/a>, the bill\u2019s supporters also falsely allege that the bill is similar to the United States Foreign Agent Registration Act. But the&nbsp;US law&nbsp;does not equate receiving foreign funding, in part or in whole, with being under the direction and control of a foreign principal. It primarily regulates lobbyists and does not serve as a mechanism for weakening&nbsp;civil society&nbsp;organisations and media.&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;also uses this false equivalence argument to justify its draconian and abusive legislation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Its many opponents within Georgia have dubbed it \u2018the Russian law\u2019 given its similarity to legislation in Georgia\u2019s northern neighbour, which continues occupy some 20 per cent of Georgian territory. Many fear that the law is a further step towards realigning Georgian foreign policy with Moscow. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bidzina Ivanishvili, a former Georgian prime minister, the founder of Georgian Dream and the country\u2019s richest person (who allegedly made the bulk of his fortune in Russia in the 1990s), earlier this month defended the law by claiming that the West as an \u201cexternal adversary\u201d of Georgia and that Georgia\u2019s civil society was an \u201cinternal enemy\u201d. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c[Western powers and NGOs] are plotting to overthrow the government and want to turn Georgia into a second front [with Russia],\u201d he said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ivanishvili also made a distinct point in his speech of differentiating himself from Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine\u2019s former pro-Russian president, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.atlanticcouncil.org\/blogs\/new-atlanticist\/dispatch-from-tbilisi-amid-georgias-battle-for-democracy-russian-influence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">notes<\/a> Eto Buziashvili a research associate focusing on Eastern Europe and Russia at the Atlantic Council\u2019s Digital Forensic Research Lab. He issued a stern warning against any attempts to challenge him in the same manner as Ukrainians did with Yanukovych, when protesters successfully defended their European aspirations and ousted a pro-Russian government.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The threat to foreign investment&nbsp;<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>The bill also threatens foreign investment in the country. Last week, Odile Renaud-Basso, the president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)\u2014one of Georgia\u2019s key investors\u2014warned that the bill could have an economic impact on private-sector willingness to invest in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cClients have expressed some concerns around developments,\u201d she said, adding that the bank is monitoring the situation closely.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The EBRD\u2019s regional director for the Caucasus, Alkis Vryenios Drakinos, has also said that the law is a potential threat to the bank\u2019s private-sector investment activities in the country. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf investors, the private sector, [have] doubts, they may react by postponing or taking a second thought in their investments, which would influence our ability to operate in the country because we are demand-driven,\u201d he said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The American Chamber of Commerce in Georgia, the country\u2019s largest international business association, issued a similar statement last month. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe are concerned that the law will damage foreign support-programmes and the civil society organisations that work with them, will undermine Georgia\u2019s EU membership aspirations and will damage the country\u2019s reputation and investment environment more generally,\u201d it said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis law stigmatizes foreigners and, as a result, can only harm Georgia\u2019s ability to attract foreign investment. Foreign investment and the expertise that have come with it has been a cornerstone of Georgia\u2019s economic development, and this law puts that at risk.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For now at least, the Georgian authorities appear not to care.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-background has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-cyan-bluish-gray-color is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Photo by <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@nesengup?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=unsplash\">Neil Sengupta<\/a> on <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/city-with-high-rise-buildings-under-orange-skies-emWzYc5XC_A?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=unsplash\">Unsplash<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-background has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-cyan-bluish-gray-color is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Unlike many news and information platforms,&nbsp;<em>Emerging Europe<\/em>&nbsp;is free to read, and always will be.&nbsp;There is no paywall here.&nbsp;We are independent,&nbsp;not affiliated with nor representing any political party or business&nbsp;organisation.&nbsp;We want the very best for emerging Europe, nothing more, nothing less. Your support will help us continue to spread the word about this amazing region.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>You can contribute&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/emergingeurope.krtra.com\/t\/NlQnFuOA2C9c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>. Thank you.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/emergingeurope.krtra.com\/t\/NlQnFuOA2C9c\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/emerging-europe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/copy-of-add-a-heading.png\" alt=\"emerging europe support independent journalism\" class=\"wp-image-50811\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-background has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-cyan-bluish-gray-color is-style-wide\"\/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Georgia\u2019s government appears unaware, or unperturbed, by the threat its so-called \u2018foreign agents\u2019 bill poses to the country\u2019s investment climate, and its EU prospects.\u00a0 This time,<span class=\"excerpt-hellip\"> [\u2026]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18842,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[7304,7247,238,6883,6633,6320,379,6874,6834,7022],"class_list":["post-18841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-analysis","tag-amcham-georgia","tag-bidzina-ivanishvili","tag-ebrd","tag-european-bank-for-reconstruction-and-development","tag-european-union","tag-featured","tag-georgia","tag-human-rights-watch","tag-irakli-kobakhidze","tag-odile-renaud-basso"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/reinvantage-dev.eonserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/reinvantage-dev.eonserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/reinvantage-dev.eonserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reinvantage-dev.eonserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reinvantage-dev.eonserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18841"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/reinvantage-dev.eonserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18841\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reinvantage-dev.eonserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/reinvantage-dev.eonserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reinvantage-dev.eonserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reinvantage-dev.eonserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}