Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia Pavel Gerchinski said that after adopting the scandalous bill on "foreign agents", they may revise the visa-free regime with the country.
Points of attention
- The suspension of visa-free travel may have a negative impact on ordinary citizens of Georgia, who will pay a high price for it.
- The "Law on Foreign Agents" in Georgia provoked large-scale protests due to the violation of freedom of speech.
- Critics of the draft law consider it an analogue of the Russian one, aimed at limiting democracy and media freedom.
- The decision on the suspension of the visa-free regime will be taken by the EU member states in the coming weeks.
In case of visa-free suspension, ordinary citizens of Georgia will suffer
Speaking about the possible consequences for Georgia after adopting the scandalous bill, Pavel Gerchinski noted that "all options are on the table." Commenting on the possibility of revising the visa-free regime for Georgia, he said that the liberalisation of the visa regime for the country was subject to certain conditions.
After the adoption of the law "On transparency of foreign influence", we should check whether the conditions of visa liberalisation for Georgia still apply, the ambassador added.
According to the diplomat, suspending visa-free travel for six months requires the votes of not all members but of the majority.
And I am sure that this will be considered as one of the options, and the member states will make a decision, — added Pavel Gerchinski.
However, Pavel Gerchinski is worried that if a visa-free suspension occurs, ordinary Georgian citizens will suffer and "pay a very high price."
I am not sure that this is what we want to achieve as a European Union. This is my personal opinion. However, a decision will be reached by the member countries in the coming weeks, the ambassador summarised.
What is known about the bill "On foreign agents" in Georgia
The Georgian parliament overrode President Salome Zurabishvili's veto of the bill "On transparency of foreign influence". 66 Georgian deputies voted for the decision to ignore Zurabishvili's remarks. 84 deputies voted to override the veto of the President of Georgia, and four voted against it.
According to the Constitution of Georgia, the bill must be submitted to the President within three days and signed by the President within five days for it to enter into force. If she refuses, the Speaker of the Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, from the ruling "Georgian Dream" party, which promoted this bill and has repeatedly sparked protests, should have done it.
The Bill on Foreign Agents declares that non-governmental and media organisations whose income is more than 20% from abroad represent the state's interests. They must be registered in a special register and fill out a financial declaration every year. Otherwise, the first time, they will be fined 25,000 lari (about 7,850 euros).
For weeks, many thousands of actions against the adoption of this document continued in the country. Critics of the bill consider it an analogue of the Russian one, which the Kremlin uses to suppress freedom of speech in its country. The ruling party of Georgia insists that they have nothing in common.
