German embassy: recall of NGO bill “right, important”

The German embassy to Georgia on Thursday said it welcomed the decision of the ruling Georgian Dream party to recall the controversial foreign agents bill amid large-scale protests in the country’s capital city. 

 

The diplomatic mission said the move was “important and right”, and also welcomed the GD’s intention to “hold the dialogue” with the public.

 

“Involvement of relevant groups in the process and professional dialogue are the basis for all democratic legislative processes”, the embassy said, urging domestic politicians to stand together to facilitate Georgia’s European integration process.

 

The GD said on Thursday it decided to withdraw the bill – that envisages the registration of domestic NGOs and media organizations as foreign agents if they receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad – to ensure peace and country’s EU integration. 

 

The party accused the domestic opposition of “misleading the public” by portraying the bill as a “Russian law”, and pledged to communicate with the public more effectively to “better inform them” about the “true goals” of the legal piece. 

 

The opposition and the civil sector say the party may reintroduce the bill later after the protests are completed, and called on the public to continue rallies until the parliament officially rejects the bill during its second reading.