EDS condemns Georgia’s ‘foreign agents’ law

The Georgian authorities are taking Georgia and its society backwards by adopting the law “On transparency of foreign influence.” It will enable the suppression of civic organisations and media, which serve as pillars of every democracy and deprive the Georgian youth of their European future. We call upon the Georgian authorities to ensure that any legislation aligns with the Council of Europe standards on human rights, democracyand the rule of law.

We recognise the coercive tactics of Russia and its aims to reverse Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic foreign policy aspirations. We think the EU should support Tbilisi without reserve, but much-needed reforms must be secured. We, the European Democrat Students (EDS), the official student organisation of the European People’s Party (EPP), support pro-democracy protests, and we do believe that Georgia’s place is in the EU as a young and promising democracy. We urge the international community to pressure the government to give up on such an anti-democratic law.