Parliament accepts ruling party’s controversial bill for discussion, rejects opposition’s transparency alternatives

The Parliament of Georgia on Tuesday accepted the draft law On Transparency of Foreign Influence, proposed by the Georgian Dream party, while dismissing two alternative proposals put forth by the opposition political group For Georgia.

The Georgian Dream faction spearheaded the draft law, which bears resemblance to a previous initiative from last year that was met with public protests. This legislation aims to mandate the registration of non-commercial entities and media outlets acting on behalf of foreign powers, particularly those deriving over 20 percent of their income from abroad.

Under this proposed bill, any entity categorized as representing foreign interests must undergo mandatory registration in the public registry, disclosing their income upon registration and filing annual financial declarations thereafter.

In contrast, one of the alternative bills, introduced by members of the parliamentary group For Georgia, focuses on shielding against the influence of Russia, defining actions detrimental to Georgia’s national interests, including its integration into the European Union and NATO.

Another alternative proposal involved amendments to the “Law on Grants” and the “Law on Accounting, Reporting, and Auditing.” This law requires any grant recipient, funded by both domestic and foreign sources, to submit an annual activity report within three months of the year’s end. These reports must detail each grant received, including its purpose, amount, and compliance with grant agreement terms.