Day: April 26, 2024
On April 24, the President of the European Economic and Social Committee, Oliver Röpke, and the President of the EESC’s Section for External Relations, Dimitris Dimitriadis, issued a statement expressing their “deep concern” over the reintroduced Foreign Agents Bill and calling on the Georgian authorities not to adopt it, stating that the draft-law “potentially jeopardizes the European future of Georgia as enshrined in the country’s Constitution.”
The statement notes that the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has been actively engaged with Georgian civil society and has worked with civil society organizations to support Georgia’s implementation of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement through the EU-Georgia Civil Society Platform, and has launched an initiative to involve members from the EU candidate countries, including 15 from Georgia, in the EESC’s consultative work, which is a step towards the country’s gradual integration into European structures.
“Therefore, we are deeply concerned by this discriminatory initiative targeting civil society organizations, including employers’ associations, trade unions and media. The law on “Transparency of Foreign Influence” is in clear contradiction with the values and principles of the European Union. If endorsed next week, the proposed legislation could hinder independent media organizations working to provide Georgians with access to high-quality information, stigmatize them, and limit freedom of expression,” – notes the statement.
The representatives of the EESC “call on Georgian authorities to respond to the demands of the overwhelming majority of the population as regards EU integration and not to adopt the legislation next week, which potentially jeopardizes the European future of Georgia as enshrined in the country’s Constitution.”
The European Economic and Social Committee acts as an advisory body to the European Parliament, the EU Council and the Commission, as mandated by the 1957, Treaty on EU, Art. 13.
Also Read: