On October 10, the German Bundestag adopted a resolution tabled by the governing coalition (SPD, Alliance 90/The Greens, and FDP) supporting Georgia’s EU perspective and its civil society, but also strongly criticizing GD. The resolution “A European Future for Georgia” focuses on the country’s democratic backsliding and the anti-democratic steps taken by the current GD government. It also calls on the German Federal Government to take concrete action in response.
With regard to the EU perspective, the resolution calls, in particular, for the suspension of the EU accession process as long as the controversial so-called “Transparency of Foreign Influence” and the anti-LGBTQ+ laws are in force.
The motion by the parliamentary group of the far-right AfD party, which – in its own words – opposes the “regime change policy in Georgia” was referred to the Foreign Affairs Committee for further discussion.
The lively debates featured calls on the German government to make sure that the future development of relations with Georgia dependent on free and fair parliamentary elections and urged the Georgian leadership to stop the unlawful persecution of peaceful demonstrators by police and prosecutors. The debates however also reflected voices critical of the resolution and calls “not interfere in Georgia’s internal affairs”, by the far-right AfD political party, in particular.
Read here about the political dynamics of the German Bundestag and some of the views expressed in the Bundestag debate on October 10.
THE GERMAN BUNDESTAG
Since 2021, Germany is governed by the so-called “traffic light” coalition, consisting of: Social Democratic Party (SPD, red), the Green Party, and the Free Democratic Party (FDP, yellow). Their parliamentary groups or factions “Fraktionen” have the most members in the Bundestag. The main opposition parties are the Union parties (CDU/CSU), followed by the far-right and right-wing populist party Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Also, there are two parties – Die Linke and Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) – that do not have the status of a faction, but who are organized in a “group”, because they do not meet the minimum number of members required to form a faction. So-called “groups” have fewer rights and privileges within the Bundestag.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT AFD
The Alternative for Germany (AfD), which opposed the governing coalition in the tabled resolution on Georgia, is a far-right political party in Germany. Together with the BSW, the AfD is described in Germany as Russia’s best friend; both parties blame the US and NATO for the war in Ukraine. The AfD has called for an end to German military aid to Ukraine, some of its politicians have been suspected of ties with Russia. Founded in 2013, the party initially focused on opposition to eurozone bailouts and European Union fiscal policy. Over time, the party has shifted further to the right and now mainly supports anti-immigration policies.
This year, the German platform ‘Correctiv’ published an investigation showing AfD members attending a meeting where they discussed mass deportations, including of citizens with immigrant backgrounds. The party’s politicians have also been repeatedly caught promoting pro-Kremlin narratives.
Most recently, the AfD received significant support in state elections in three German federal states “Bundesländer” – Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg – and was particularly successful among young voters.
GERMANY’S POSITION ON GEORGIA’S EU PERSPECTIVE
Before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the German government was rather skeptical about Georgia’s accession to the EU. The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel (2005-2021, CDU), was known to be an opponent of Georgia’s EU prospects. But with the start of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine and the so-called “Zeitenwende” speech by Chancellor Olaf Scholz (since 2021, SPD), German policy and position towards Eastern neighbors, including Georgia, changed.
Germany among other issues, has reversed its position on the enlargement of the European Union, which resulted EU opening its doors for the countries of the Associated Trio- Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine and in granting them EU candidates status.
However, soon enough the adoption of the Foreign Agents Law and other controversial legislation, anti-democratic actions by the Georgian government, persecution of its opponents and anti-Western rhetoric have led to an unprecedented deterioration in relations between Georgia on the one hand and its Western partners on the other, as well as the suspension of Georgia’s EU integration process.
The parliamentary elections are seen as the ultimate test, with Georgia’s partners warning that if they are not free and fair, the suspension could become a complete halt to the prospect of accession.
German Ambassador to Georgia Peter Fischer said in May this year that if the Foreign Agents law would be adopted Germany will not vote in favor of opening EU accession negotiations with Georgia.
This month, Salome Zurabishvili visited European capitals to secure support for Georgia’s EU integration. One of the countries she visited was Germany, where she met with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD) and spoke to him about the pre-election environment in Georgia.
Michael Roth, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of German Bundestag, when visiting Tbilisi last month said: “…If this government doesn’t stop the anti-democratic policies, there is no way to join the European Union. And this is not my personal point of view, this is the EU’s point of view, this is the German government’s point of view, this is the German Bundestag’s point of view: the Foreign Agents Law, the Russian “Agents Law” must be withdrawn. The Offshore Law must be withdrawn. And the anti-LGBTIQ law must be repealed. So these are the clear expectations.”
The latest statement on the issue is the resolution by the German Bundestag adopted on October 10 entitled “A European Future for Georgia”, the adoption of which was preceded by debates in the legislature. Robin Wagener, a Member of the German Bundestag and Federal Foreign Office’s coordinator for inter-societal cooperation with the South Caucasus, the Republic of Moldova, and Central Asia asserted that the position expressed in the resolution, that there could be no further progress with these laws, was not only the position of the German Bundestag, but also that of the German government.
THE VOICES IN THE DEBATE
Merle Spellerberg of Alliance 90/The Greens opened the debate with a reminder of Nana Malashkhia’s (the famous “woman with the EU flag, a symbol of protests against the Foreign Agents’ law): “I’m sure you still have this iconic picture in mind: At one of the large demonstrations in March, shortly after the anti-NGO law was passed, a woman waves a European flag (…), gets hit by a water cannon, and keeps on waving the flag.”
This courageous demonstrator, said Spellerberg, has become an icon of the protest movement and symbolizes the desire of the overwhelming majority of the Georgian people: “A perspective in the European Union.”
However, according to the Parliamentarian, this can only become reality if Georgia allows free and fair elections and makes a credible commitment to democratic values. Her demand: “No further step in the EU accession process as long as the anti-NGO and the anti-LGBTIQ law are in force.”
Knut Abraham of the CDU/CSU, a member of the opposition, opened his speech with a personal anecdote from the time he came to Georgia for the first time about 20 years ago. “Back then, when I traveled to Georgia, I asked myself exactly this question: Does Georgia belong to Europe?”
In his speech, he answered himself: “Georgia belongs to Europe.” The people want to join Europe, but the country is, in his words, in trouble. “It has a bad neighbour,” Abraham said, referring to Russia, which occupies twenty percent of Georgian territory.
He made an urgent appeal to the Georgian government: “Do not betray your and our ideals now. The elections on 26 October must be fair and free”. Although Abraham agreed with the motion, he announced that the CDU/CSU would vote against it.
He cited as a reason that the CDU/CSU had not been consulted beforehand, even though they could have worked together with the factions of the governing coalition, Abraham argued. “Therefore, and only therefore, we unfortunately have to reject this motion,” he said.
Michael Roth, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, leaves no doubt that he supports Georgia’s civil society and its goal to become part of the European Union. In his speech, he emphasized that in his opinion: “The ‘Zeitenwende’ (Olaf Scholz’s speech and turn of German policy after Russia’s invasion in Ukraine 2022) should have been initiated in 2008 “when Russian imperialism struck against the free Republic of Georgia”, he said.
Roth, who has visited Georgia and its capital several times, expressed his admiration for the Georgian civil society: “They live what has sometimes become a matter of course for us: freedom and no fear of being different, democracy and standing up for the rule of law, for the independence of the media, for paying a price for freedom of expression.”
In his eyes “Tbilisi is the true capital of Europe”, Roth said. He concluded his speech by saying in Georgian: “Georgia’s future is democratic, free and European.”
Steffen Kotré of the AfD – whose parliamentary group tabled the other motion – criticized the resolution of the factions of the governing coalition: “It is nothing more than interference in the affairs of a foreign state,” he said. Georgia, Kotré said, would decide for itself at the ballot box whether it wants to join the EU or not, without raising issues about violations and repression in the weeks and months before the election.
In his speech, Kotré spread false information, for example by claiming that the “Transparency of Foreign Influence” law in Georgia was no different from the one in the US. He also accused other members of the parliament of propaganda, all the while himself repeating the Russian narrative by claiming: “Without external influence, without foreign funding of the Maidan and the 2014 coup, Ukraine would never have been able to position itself against Russia in this way.”
As Kotré spoke, members of other parliamentary groups heckled him.
Other speakers
Other speakers, who participated in the debate included Anikó Glogowski-Merten and Thomas Hacker (both FDP), Tobias Winkler (CDU/CSU), Johannes Schraps (SPD), Dr Anna Lührmann (Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office), Dr Rainer Rothfuß (AfD), Andrei Hunko (BSW Group) and Robert Farle (independent).
Kathrin Vogler (Die Linke) put a question to Johannes Schraps (SPD), suggesting that Georgia’s status as a safe country of origin should be reconsidered. Given the murder of transgender person Kesaria Abramidze, which occurred just one day after the passage of the anti-LGBTQ law, the situation for queer people in Georgia was assessed as particularly alarming.
While Schraps acknowledged the worrying developments, he did not really address the issue of safe country of origin status.
The author: Anastasia Trenkler is a journalist from German media Der Spiegel working with Civil.ge in the framework of the IJP Scholarship