Bundestag Adopts Resolution “A European future for Georgia ”
On October 10, following debates on Georgia the German Bundestag adopted a resolution entitled “A European Future for Georgia”, which highlights the country’s democratic backsliding and the anti-democratic actions of the current GD government. The resolution calls on the German Federal Government to take concrete action in response. The motion was initiated by the coalition factions SPD, Alliance 90/The Greens and FDP (20/13222 ). The coalition factions voted in favor, the Union faction, the AfD faction and the BSW group voted against. The Left group abstained.
The resolution begins by saying: “It is primarily thanks to Georgia’s courageous civil society, and its decades of dedication to democracy and the rule of law, freedom and independence, that Georgia has developed since the Rose Revolution of 2003 into one of the region’s more progressive and democratic states, which has moved closer to the European Union.” Noting that both the UNM and GD governments had initially made progress towards the EU, the resolution adds, “both have seen setbacks.”
“In pursuing the authoritarian and anti-European direction that the current Georgian Government has embarked on, however, the country’s political leaders are willfully putting Georgia’s future within the EU at risk, contrary to the wishes of the broad majority of the Georgian population,” the resolution says.
It goes on to detail the anti-democratic actions of the GD government, including the controversial laws it has passed, the reversal of the country’s stated European foreign policy, the repression of minorities and the crackdown on civil society, as well as other authoritarian tendencies in the country ahead of crucial elections.
The resolution also mentions the GD Honorary Chair Bidzina Ivanishvili, saying “the goal of holding onto power for the honorary chairman and founder of the party, Georgian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, is being prioritized higher than Georgia’s European future and democratic stability.”
The Bundestag calls on the Federal Government of Germany to act upon, among others, the GD-adopted legislation, including the Foreign Agents Law, the anti-LGBT law and the so-called “Offshore Law”, as well as the upcoming parliamentary elections and the visa-free travel issues.
The Bundestag calls on the German government “to insist” at European level that “no further progress occurs in Georgia’s EU accession process” with the Foreign Agents Law in force.
It also calls on the German government “to work” at the European level to ensure that, in the context of EU integration, the Georgian government is called upon to withdraw the legislation restricting the rights of LGBT+ people’s rights and the so-called ‘Offshore Law’. Regarding the anti-LGBT legislation and constitutional amendments sought by the GD, the resolution states that they constitute “an attack not only on the LGBTQIA+ community but also on human rights, freedom of opinion, and a free civil society.” On the so-called “Offshore Law”, the resolution states that the law “could weaken economic transparency and anti-corruption efforts as well as facilitating the circumvention of sanctions.”
As the above-mentioned legislation restricts civil society and minority rights in Georgia, the resolution also calls on the German government to provide “bureaucratically uncomplicated” support to groups affected by repressive measures and to adopt protective measures. The resolution also calls for increased cooperation and cultural exchanges with Georgian civil society, while ensuring that federal funding for Georgian public institutions is not used to move the country away from democratic standards.
The German government is urged “to advocate” in the spirit of the European Council Conclusions of June 27, 2024 for free and fair parliamentary elections in Georgia by supporting international observational missions of the OSCE/ODIHR and PACE and “by making the future development of relations with Georgia dependent on free and fair parliamentary elections.”
The Bundestag stresses the importance of the OSCE/ODIHR and Council of Europe reports on Georgia’s elections and calls on the German Government “to pay particular attention to whether undemocratic practices identified by long-term observers in the run-up to the elections cast doubt on the legitimacy of those elections.” In this context, the resolution refers to what the reports will say about the mobilization of administrative resources to support the policies of the governing party.
Notably, the resolution calls on the Federal Government “to advocate at the European level for visa-free travel to remain in place for the people of Georgia in spite of the government’s democratic regression, as suspending it would affect the entire population, including the pro-European forces.”
The resolution also mentions sanctions. It calls on the German government to monitor the situation in Georgia and “to take note of any violations that could lead to targeted sanctions.”
The resolution also calls on the German government to urge the Georgian leadership to stop the unlawful persecution of peaceful demonstrators by police and prosecutors.
Furthermore, the Bundestag says the German government should call on Russia to respect Georgia’s territorial integrity and to condemn any Russian influence with regard to the illegal de facto control of Russian troops and any attempt to further destabilize Georgia.
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