On April 25, the European Parliament passed a resolution (425 in favor, 25 against) condemning Georgia’s draft law on foreign agents and emphasizing its contradiction to democratic values and EU aspirations. The resolution urges sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishvili and the withdrawal of anti-LGBTQ+ constitutional amendments. It highlights the threat the law poses to civil society and human rights, calling for a halt to EU accession negotiations until the law is revoked. Additionally, it calls for the release of former President Mikheil Saakashvili and an immediate assessment of the law’s impact on visa liberalization benchmarks. The resolution underlines the need for the European Commission to evaluate Georgia’s compliance with EU conditions and to assess the law’s effect on the EU’s donor role in Georgia.
REACTIONS:
The leaders of Georgian Dream (the ruling party) disregarded the warnings and dismissed the resolution as shameful and insignificant. They asserted that there were no means to monitor the visa liberalization mechanism or to halt negotiations on accession.
Kakha Kaladze, the mayor of Tbilisi and the secretary general of the ruling Georgian Dream, stated in his briefing:
“The European Parliament adopted another shameful resolution. The MPs who supported this waste paper have once again insulted the European institution and the European idea, which is based on freedom, equality, transparency, and truth.” Kaladze further highlighted that MEPs are urging the rejection of the transparency law, with an interest in injecting illicit funds into the country, funds that are then used for destructive actions against the nation. This occurs as the European Union is on the verge of adopting a much stricter law on foreign financing. The Secretary General of GD concluded his briefing with the assertion that there is no mechanism for halting visa liberalization. “Even to initiate discussions, the EU would require the agreement of all 27 member countries.”
Shalva Papuashvili, Chairperson of the Parliament, in an interview with journalists expressed no concern about the resolution:
“This resolution is a political declaration that lacks any legal force, Its insignificance has been repeatedly demonstrated regarding Georgia. This is not the first such declaration; it is already the fourth in line. Like its predecessors, this declaration holds no value, neither for our country nor for the European Union. Therefore, it will stand as a regrettable chapter in the archives of the European Parliament.”
Mamuka Mdinaradze, Chairperson of the Georgian Dream faction, posted on her official Facebook page accusing EU MEPs for blackmailing:
“Drafting a resolution encompassing visa liberalization among its topics, where consensus among all 27 member countries is required for decision-making, even at the initiation stage, is simply another act of deception and mere blackmailing from EU MPs, and nothing more!Not to mention that initiating such a procedure (halting visa liberalization, authors) is impossible, as it requires legal grounds, and the basis of this cannot be dictated by a resolution that has been devalued and disregarded numerous times, holding no real power. In summary, nothing can threaten visa liberalization!
At the same time, the resolution calls for the sanctioning of Bidzina Ivanishvili and the release of Mikheil Saakashvili, as well as the withdrawal of laws on transparency (“the Russian Foreign Agents Law”, authors) and family values. This means that the current resolution of the European Parliament openly endorses evil, opacity, the promotion of non-traditional lifestyles, and bears no resemblance to Europe, European values. It is immoral and categorically unacceptable for Georgian society.”