Georgien

Statement by the German Political Foundations in Georgia

Joint statement by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation on the draft laws on "Transparency of Foreign Influence" and "Registration of Foreign Agents" in Georgia:

As the German Political Foundations represented in Georgia, we express our grave concern over the currently discussed draft laws on "Transparency of Foreign Influence" and "Registration of Foreign Agents." If one of the laws is adopted, it would significantly harm the work of Georgian civil society organizations (CSOs) and independent media, which have contributed immensely to the democratization process of Georgia. It would further shrink the space for critical voices and promote polarization.

We share the criticism of the Georgian draft laws uttered by many respected institutions and urge the Parliament of Georgia to take the concerns of Georgian and international stakeholders seriously. CSOs and independent media have been our valuable partners since we started our activities in Georgia over two decades ago. All our vital work for Georgia would face severe setbacks in case of the adoption of one of the draft laws. In addition, we deeply regret that the adoption would run counter to Georgia's constitutional commitment "to ensure the full integration of Georgia into the European Union."