Ruling party postpones adoption of deoligarchisation bill, cites “request” from EU

Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said the party would not back the passage of the controversial deoligarchisation bill next week and postpone its adoption until December, as he said as “requested” from European partners. 

 

In his press comments, Kobakhidze said the party would wait for the European Commission’s decision later this year on whether the body would remove the related condition from its 12-point priorities outlined last year for granting Georgia the bloc’s membership candidate status. 

 

Kobakhidze reiterated his claims that the fifth condition in the priorities – which says 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 – meant a.“personalised” approach, in contrast with the Venice Commission’s opinion on the bill and the stance of  domestic opposition groups. 

 

The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe earlier this month urged the Georgian authorities to implement “systemic reforms” instead of a “personalised approach” to prevent the concentration of power in the hands of wealthy individuals. 

 

The domestic opposition groups said the European Commission’s note on deoligarchisation did not oblige the authorities to adopt the specific law, claiming the passing of the legal piece with its third and final reading could pose threats to the country’s EU integration ahead of the bloc’s forthcoming decision in December whether to grant Tbilisi its candidate status.