EU Ambassador to Georgia Paweł Herczyński noted that the Foreign Agents Law, if adopted in its current form will be “a very serious obstacle” for Georgia’s EU integration, and stressed that he hopes that either the Foreign Agents’ law will be not adopted at all, or if adopted it will be a “completely different law” based on the legal opinion of the Venice Commission. This statement follows Prime Minister Kobakhidze’s unexpected statement on May 10 that changes to the law could be made after the presidential veto.
Speaking to the media on May 10, during the Europe Day celebrations at the ExpoGeorgia, the EU Ambassador answered a journalist’s questions about the possibility of a compromise on the law, as mentioned by the PM the day earlier. He noted: “As the European Union we are working together with the government to find way forward… I sincerely hope that in the next coming weeks a way will be found in order to resolve the outstanding issue of the draft law of the transparency of foreign influence, which as we have stated on numerous occasions should not be adopted in its current form, and if it will be adopted in its current form it be a very serious obstacle on the way of Georgia’s integration in the European Union.”
When asked what exactly the new form of the law could take, the Ambassador said, the Ambassador said that “The easiest and the best solution would be for this law to be dropped, for this law not to be adopted.” He then added: “In case not, there are parliamentary procedures and I’m sure these parliamentary procedures will be followed. We are all waiting for the opinion of Venice Commission.” Stressing that the Venice Commission is an “international standard setter when it comes to legal issues” he reiterated his hope that “either this law will be not adopted at all, or in case this law needs to be adopted this will be completely different law based on the legal opinion of the Venice Commission.”
He noted that “we still have some time and we are ready to work with everyone in order to avoid current law being adopted, because the law as it stands now is not consistent with EU norms and EU values.”
Noting that it’s up to the Georgians what laws they want in their country” Paweł Herczyński stressed that it his role “as the EU ambassador is to speak about the consequences.”
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