On 22 May, EU High Representative Josep Borrell called on Georgia to follow the “strong” recommendation issued by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe to repeal the law of Foreign Influence in its current form.
In its urgent opinion published on 21 May, the Venice Commission said the law had been adopted through a procedure that “left no space for genuine discussion and meaningful consultation, in open disregard for the concerns of large parts of the Georgian people”.
In its conclusion, the Venice Commission said that this law’s “fundamental flaws will involve significant negative consequences for the freedoms of association and expression, the right to privacy, the right to participate in public affairs as well as the prohibition of discrimination. Ultimately, this will affect open, informed public debate, pluralism and democracy.”
Borrell said on X (formerly Twitter) that the European Union called on the Georgian authorities to follow this recommendation “in view of safeguarding the fundamental elements of Georgia’s democracy”.
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Venice Commission’s Urgent Opinion on the Law of Georgia on Transparency of Foreign Influence