The European Commission strongly criticized today the foreign agents law adopted in Georgia, stating that it is “fundamentally incompatible” with the values of the European Union, reports Agence France-Presse, BTA reports.
“Such actions are fundamentally incompatible with the European values of democracy, the rule of law and media pluralism and fall far short of what we expect from an EU candidate country“, the European Commission said in a statement.
This week, the Georgian parliament adopted a law on foreign agents, which analysts and human rights groups say could be used by the government to further restrict civil liberties and suppress the opposition.
The law “gives the Georgian authorities additional tools to suppress dissent and tighten their policy of repression“, said EU foreign policy chief Kaia Kallas and EU enlargement commissioner Marta Kos.
“It will have a negative impact on Georgia's path to EU accession“, they warned they.
Georgia is an official candidate for EU membership, and the aspiration to join, which is enshrined in the country's constitution, is supported by more than 80 percent of the population, according to opinion polls.
The South Caucasus country, which is in the midst of a political crisis, has been rocked by daily demonstrations since late 2024, AFP reports.