PACE Co-rapporteurs for Georgia Urge Ruling Party not to Override Veto on Agents’ Law
Following the Venice Commission’s urgent opinion on the Foreign Agents Law, the PACE co-rapporteurs for Georgia, Claude Kern (France, ALDE) and Edite Estrela (Portugal, SOC) on May 22 urged the Georgian government to not to override the Presidential veto and to repeal this bill.
“Our Georgian counterparts have asked us for authoritative legal arguments with regard to our concerns about the law on transparency of foreign influence. These arguments have now been delivered in the univocal opinion by the Venice Commission that was requested by the President of the Assembly,” said the co-rapporteurs.
The PACE’s official press release refers to the Venice Commission, and argues that “Georgia already has a comprehensive legal framework to regulate the funding and transparency of NGOs and the media.” The co-rapporteurs believe the government can instead focus on strengthening the existing framework “if there is an objective need for it, in close co-operation with the Council of Europe.”
The co-rapporteurs express readiness to continue dialogue with the Georgian government and the society on this matter within the ongoing monitoring procedure for the country. Also, the PACE is scheduled to hold a current affairs debate on recent challenges to democracy in Georgia during its Standing Committee meeting in Vilnius on May 24.
Also Read:
- 22/05/2024 – Reactions to Venice Commission Opinion on Foreign Agents Law
- 21/05/2024 – GD Slams Venice Commission Over ‘Unfounded’ Opinion on Foreign Agents Law
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)
