On May 14, 2024, the Georgian parliament adopted the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence in its third and final reading. Under the law civil society and media organisations that receive more than 20% of their total annual revenue from abroad will be obliged to register as “implementing organisations of foreign power interests”. Failure to comply with the Law’s requirements will result in penalties up to 25,000 Georgian Lari (GEL) (approximately EUR 8,400). For example, the Ministry of Justice now also has the power to request from any individual or entity information that they need to provide “immediately” or they may be sanctioned 5,000 GEL (app. EUR 1,600). Although the President of Georgia vetoed the Law on May 18, the Georgian Parliament overturned the veto on May 28, 2024.
CSOs are concerned that the Georgian government will use the Law to interfere in their activities, undermine their credibility and stigmatise them by presenting them as conduits of foreign influence. The purpose of this overview by ECNL and ICNL is to help organisations understand the provisions and the implications on their activities, keeping in mind that certain provisions in the law are not clear.