US State Department Spokesperson urges Georgia not to enact transparency of foreign influence bill

Matthew Miller, the Spokesperson for the United States Department of State, on Thursday said the US joined their European allies in urging Georgia not to enact the controversial domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence, which “goes against the wishes of the overwhelming majority of Georgian citizens - the desire to integrate fully into the EU”.

The press statement followed the approval of the first reading of the draft law by the Georgian Parliament on Wednesday, which calls for the registration of non-commercial legal entities and media outlets in the country as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they derive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad.

Miller noted his country was “gravely disappointed” by the Georgian legislative body’s decision to advance “Kremlin-inspired foreign influence legislation”, stressing as the EU had stated, “passage of this law could compromise” Georgia’s progress on its European path.

Georgia has a vibrant civil society that serves its citizens and works to improve Georgia’s economy.  If adopted, the proposed legislation could limit freedom of expression, stigmatise organisations that deliver these benefits to the citizens of Georgia, and impede independent media organisations working to provide Georgians with access to high quality information”, the Spokesperson pointed out.

He emphasised “such Kremlin-inspired legislation is not appropriate if the goal is to promote transparency”.

The first reading of the legislative piece was supported by 83 MPs in the 150-member lawmaking body, on the backdrop of public protests and criticism by some of the country’s foreign partners.