The authoritarian drift of the Georgian government – which, despite international protests and criticism, has approved the Russian-inspired foreign agents law – threatens to have consequences beyond the freezing of EU accession talks. The foreign ministers of the 27 member states of the Union are studying paralyzing the financing of projects that have an impact on the Georgian authorities, collaboration programs (such as the one that hopes to withdraw the roaming) with the Caucasian country and the sending of funds to the army in the face of “negative events in the country”, according to a confidential document prepared by the External Action Service (EEAS) of the EU, to which Morning Express has had access.
The controversial Transparency Law on Foreign Influence puts at risk projects that receive funding from abroad: from agricultural cooperatives to women’s associations and organizations that protect human rights. This rule, which will come into force in August, has caused massive demonstrations for weeks, despite intimidation, threats and physical attacks against representatives of civil society, political leaders and journalists, according to the European document, which proposes a series of options. to pressure the Georgian government.
Georgia has been a candidate country for accession to the EU since last February. In Brussels, there is great concern about their situation and the actions of the Government, which some see as a maneuver to distance the Caucasian country from the European path and maintain the umbrella of Russian influence. It is not only about the so-called law on foreign agents – similar to a Russian one, which has also inspired a legislative reform in Hungary, a wayward partner of the club – but there are also other “worrying” measures, as observed from Brussels , taken in recent months. These include the announcement of a package of laws on the “protection of family values and minors”, similar to constitutional amendments to prohibit “LGBTIQ propaganda”; Parliament’s abolition of electoral gender quotas; amendments to the electoral code to change the election by consensus of the Central Electoral Commission; or measures affecting the independence of the National Bank of Georgia, says the EEAS.
The EU observes with concern the record of Poland and Hungary, which have maintained an authoritarian drift for years that has brought them punishment from Brussels. Despite everything, Warsaw has redirected this drift with the departure of the ultra-conservative Government of Law and Justice (Pis). With that experience, the EU is not willing to allow that path in a candidate country. Hence, the battery of measures that the heads of diplomacy of the Twenty-Seven will debate on Monday the 24th at a meeting in Luxembourg.
On the one hand, there is the freezing of funds that are allocated to programs managed by the authorities and the sending of economic packages for non-lethal material and training of the Georgian security forces through the European Fund for Peace. Added to this are other “short-term” options, such as suspending high-level meetings, both by the EU and the Member States. “These measures could be lifted once the law is repealed, and provided that the EU’s concerns about democratic backsliding are sufficiently addressed and accompanied by clear public messages,” the EEAS document says.
The Twenty-Seven also analyze measures in case of “greater deterioration” due to the “use of violence against peaceful protesters, intimidation, or irregularities in the electoral process.” Among them, they propose suspending Georgia’s participation in dialogues at the political level until the situation improves or even recommending that countries introduce a temporary Schengen visa requirement for holders of Georgian diplomatic and service passports.
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If the situation worsens further, the EU is talking about the possibility of suspending the visa-free entry regime to the EU for nine months. But he warns that this measure, although it can be a “powerful lever” for Georgia to reconsider the foreign agent law, can have an immediate impact on the Georgian population.
“The focus should rather be on entry bans for individuals and on the commitment of Member States not to grant visa exemptions to holders of diplomatic or service passports,” says the EEAS, which also delves into formulas for intensify European cooperation and support for civil society, and the need to increase public messaging and campaigns against disinformation.
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