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![handle is hein.crs/govepdz0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Georgia's Parliament Passes Transparency of
Foreign Influence Law
May 28, 2024
On May 28, 2024, the Georgian parliament overrode (via a simple majority) President Salome
Zourabichvili's veto and passed a law titled On Transparency of Foreign Influence (Zourabichvili is a
political independent). The legislation, which the U.S. Department of State has called Kremlin-inspired,
was introduced in April 2024 after the parliament shelved an earlier version last year amid protests and
Western criticism. The legislation requires nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and media outlets that
receive more than 20% of their funding from foreign sources to register as organizations pursuing the
interest of a foreign power. The parliament initially passed the law on May 14, despite mass protests and
expressions of concern by U.S. and European officials.
On May 23, the State Department announced a comprehensive review of U.S.-Georgia bilateral
cooperation and a new visa restriction policy that will apply to individuals who are responsible for or
complicit in undermining democracy in Georgia, as well as their family members. Some Members of
Congress have introduced related legislation and may weigh the implications of the law's passage for
Georgia's ongoing democratization, European Union (EU) and NATO integration efforts, defense against
Russian aggression and malign influence, and U.S. assistance.
Law On Transparency of Foreign Influence
The law establishes the creation of a public registry of organizations pursuing the interest of a foreign
power. It also requires registering entities to submit annual declarations detailing the source, amount,
and purpose of income and expenditures; enables the Ministry of Justice to solicit a range of data for the
purposes of registration and compliance; and imposes fines for noncompliance.
On May 21, the European Commission for Democracy through Law (or Venice Commission), a Council
of Europe legal advisory body, assessed that the legislation's fundamental flaws will involve significant
negative consequences for the freedoms of association and expression. According to the Venice
Commission, the legislation presupposes that anyone receiving foreign support will act in pursuit of the
interests of the foreign funder and, thus, could have a stigmatizing effect on registered organizations,
undermin[ing] their public trust and access to financial resources.
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
IN12368
CRS INSIGHT
Prepared for Members and
Committees of Congress](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.crs/govepdz0001&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)