CSOs Legislative Monitoring Group Created

A group of CSOs has been created to monitor legislative initiatives that may harm the civil society interests. The decision came as a result of several recent draft laws and legislative amendment proposals that connoted serious limitation of CSO activity or considerable changes of the regulatory framework.

The group unites seven organizations Georgian Business Law Center (GBLC), Caucasian Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development (CIPDD), Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA), Georgian Young Economists’ Association (GYEA), Institute of Social Development (ISD), Association “Free Press”, and United Nations Association of Georgia (UNAG).

 Their representatives say, they have been already engaged in the monitoring initiatives, but increased volume of the draft legislation that may potentially harm CSOs commands closer attention and follow up. The group will work to track the draft legislation or legislative amendments initiated by the multitude of state agencies and the political parties. The group will also try to constructively engage the decision-makers to adjust or transform their initiatives as to safeguard the current regulatory regime as a minimum, and to simplify and improve the CSO related legislation as a longer-term goal.

The group has already managed to push through the modification to the draft law on “Mandatory Social Insurance” to maintain exemption of the grant incomes from this fee. Vazha Salamadze of Georgian Business Law Center (GBLC) told advocacy.ge. his organization will follow the draft closely to ensure that the amended provision “is not lost somewhere in the process.” 

The monitoring group members will sign a memorandum of understanding listing their aims and plans and distribute it among the representatives of the civil society.

Two main drafts “On Mandatory Social Insurance” and the draft Tax Code are currently on the top of the monitoring group agenda. Proposed legislation on suspension of the extremist and terrorist organizations also commands attention of the group, as the members of the CSOs say some provisions of this draft can still be used to limit activities of CSOs or to apply selectively, according to the political interests of the government. (““Civil Experts say the Ministry of Security Pushes for an Obsolete Law”“)

The monitoring group has developed a number of remarks and suggestions on new tax code. At the same time the CSO group has approached Chairperson of the parliament, and political parties for developing alternative mechanism of CSO taxation. 

Julie Giorgadze