Georgia: "This Law Targets Anyone Mobilizing for Democratic Change"
16 May 2024
Interview: 3 Questions on the situation in Georgia to Bucerius Fellow Sonja Schiffers
Figure: (2024). 3 Questions on the situation in Georgia to Sonja Schiffers. https://eu.boell.org/en/2024/05/16/3-questions-sonja-schiffers
Within the framework of an interview, Bucerius Fellow Dr. Sonja Schiffers, Director, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung South Caucasus Regional Office, Tbilisi, answers the following three questions: "[...] What impact will the bill have on media freedom and civil society in Georgia? In a statement by EU High Representative Josep Borrell with the European Commission, they "urge the Georgian authorities to withdraw the law, uphold their commitment to the EU path and advance the necessary reforms". Which measures could the EU take to positively impact the country's progress towards EU accession? What are the next steps for this law and what can we expect for the Georgian parliamentary elections in October 2024? [...]
[...] Just under six months ago, Georgia became a formal candidate for EU membership. The Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence, adopted in mid-May 2024, however, hinders Georgian accession to the EU and has drawn massive protests by Georgian society. The bill, which has great similarities to a Russian law, requires non-governmental organisations and media outlets that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as bodies 'pursuing the interests of a foreign power.' In this context we asked three questions to Dr. Sonja Schiffers, Director of our South Caucasus office in Tbilisi, on how she views the latest developments. [...]"
more