Today: Monday, 4 November 2024 year

The President of Georgia vetoed the bill on foreign agents.

The President of Georgia vetoed the bill on foreign agents.

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili said at a briefing that she vetoed the bill on foreign agents adopted by parliament.

“I vetoed the “Russian” law. This law <…> represents an obstacle on the European path. The veto is legally sound and will be submitted to parliament today. The law is not subject to any changes or improvements. This law must be repealed,” – she said.

Zurabishvili has repeatedly promised to block the document when it comes to her signature, and has expressed support for protesters against the law. However, the presidential veto is more formal in nature, since parliament needs a simple majority of votes to override it.

On May 14, the Parliament of Georgia adopted in the third and final reading the bill “On Transparency of Foreign Influence” introduced by the ruling Georgian Dream party. It involves the registration of non-profit legal entities and media whose income – in particular, more than 20 percent – comes from abroad. In addition, all organizations “promoting the interests of foreign forces” must be registered in the state registry. In this case, you will need to reflect the income received and fill out a declaration, otherwise you will face a fine of 25 thousand lari.

The Parliament of Georgia has already considered such a bill in March 2023. Then the deputies approved it only in the first reading, and then, amid mass protests, it was withdrawn. In the new version of the document, instead of the term “agent of foreign influence,” the wording “an organization pursuing the interests of a foreign power” is used. The rest of the content remains the same.


The proceedings surrounding the bill were again accompanied by protest rallies; the police dispersed these protests and detained activists. Western countries issued threats against Tbilisi: the United States said it would fundamentally reconsider bilateral relations if the law came into force, and the EU promised to freeze Georgia’s application for membership.

Georgian authorities claim that the law fully complies with all basic legal principles and serves the sole purpose of annually disclosing the finances of non-governmental organizations and related media.