Ruling party backs passing deoligarchisation bill despite Venice Commission’s negative opinion

The ruling Georgian Georgian Dream party late on Tuesday backed the passing of the controversial deoligarchisation bill with its second reading despite the negative opinion on the draft law published by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe a day before the vote. 

 

In their comments, the ruling party officials claimed the recommendations of the Venice Commission, which called for implementing a wide range of reforms to prevent the influence of certain, wealthy individuals on the country’s life instead of elaborating a personal approach, “contradicted” one of 12 conditions outlined by the European Commission last year for granting Tbilisi its membership candidate status. 

 

Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the GD, claimed the party would reject the bill if the European Commission removed the specific condition by December, adding it would also extend the coming the law into play until 2024 in a bid to wait for the decision by the EU body. 

 

The domestic opposition and civil society organisations, who have been protesting the bill since its submission last year, claimed the 12-point conditions for Georgia’s EU candidacy did not include “any demands” on the adoption of the deoligarchisation bill. 

 

The wording of the European Commission’s condition No.5 is that Tbilisi should show commitment to the condition of deoligarchisation, which should be achieved in economic, political and public life, by eliminating the excessive influence of private interests.

 

The opposition said by approval of the bill, which was drafted by the ruling party based on the relevant Ukrainian legislation, with its third and final reading, the current authorities would “undermine” the country’s chances to obtain the EU candidacy by the end of this year. 

 

In its report on Monday, the Venice Commission also explained that the example of Ukraine over the specific issue would not be useful neither for Georgia, nor Moldova, and also recommended Kyiv to revise its approach to oligarchs by “systemic reforms”. 

 

It noted the so-called “non-transparent influence of oligarchs” threatened democracy in Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova, but added there was no “one-size-fits-all solutions” to fighting oligarchy, and each country’s systemic approach must be tailored to its “historical, legal, political and contextual situation.”