European Lawmaker Says Georgia Risks Losing EU's Support Over Suppression Of Protests

CHISINAU (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th March, 2023) Georgia risks losing a significant part of the European Union's support due to the suppression of protests sparked by the controversial bill on foreign agents and "non-democratic tendencies," European Parliament member Siegfried Muresan said on Wednesday.

Georgia's parliament on Tuesday adopted a bill On Transparency of Foreign Influence in a 76-13 vote in the first reading. Under the law, a list of individuals and entities receiving financing from abroad would be created. This sparked mass protests and concerns among the opposition, who fear it would allow the government to suppress the work of non-governmental organizations and activists in the country. The

"Georgia risks losing significant support. I hope this will not happen because we also want to have safe, stable, and prosperous countries in our neighborhoods. However, ... if the influence of non-democratic tendencies will be observed in Georgia, the EU will be forced to reduce its support," Muresan said in an interview with Romanian broadcaster Digi 24.

The lawmaker said that Georgia was behind Moldova and Ukraine toward European integration last year, and now Tbilisi's problems have become even more evident.

Muresan said that the EU sees "intimidation of civil society" in Georgia because of the law.

"This intimidation of subjects necessary for democracy, it does not correspond to European standards at all and what the Georgian authorities are doing threatens the European course of the country ... Obviously, the EU expects people to express their opinions freely, and any attempt to intimidate those who take to the streets will not be accepted by the EU," the lawmaker said.

European Council President Charles Michel said earlier on Wednesday that Georgia's bill was incompatible with the country's European aspirations, while EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell noted that the draft law was incompatible with the values of the EU and contradicted Georgia's goal to join the union. US State Department spokesperson Ned price said on Tuesday, while commenting on the situation in Georgia, that the United States has tools that would allow it to hold responsible anyone in any nation for violating human rights. At the same time, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili expressed support for the protesters in Tbilisi and announced that she would veto the law on foreign agents.