On Friday, the Council informed the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset of the result of the telephone conversation with the Prime Minister of Georgia, Mr Kobachidze. Its subject was the position of a working group to address amendments to the abroad Influence Act. The formation of the group was agreed during Berset's visit to Tbilisi on 20 December 2024. On 20 January, the Council of Europe sent a letter with a formal request to establish a group that remained unanswered.
A telephone call took place on February 3rd. In the course of this process, as the Council stated, the Prime Minister of Georgia “declared that since circumstances had changed, his government no longer wished to participate in a joint working group, nor to improve the abroad Influence Act as discussed earlier. Kobachidze assured that Georgia is committed to further working together with the Council of Europe in the framework of intergovernmental cooperation," says the RE Communication.
The Head of the Council has adopted the decision “with large regret”; now the impact of the “new situation caused by the change of course of the Georgian government” will be assessed, says the Communication. The Council of Europe has ensured that it "continues dialogue" with the authorities in Tbilisi.
What is the abroad Agents Act?
The "Transparency of abroad Influences" Act, called the abroad Agents Act, was adopted in Georgia in 2024. It requires organisations receiving funds from abroad to registry as ‘an entity pursuing abroad forces’ interests. According to critics, the bill will enable the authorities to destruct civilian society and introduce an authoritative Russian-style government model, and, above all, will block Georgia's way to the EU. The adoption of the bill triggered an unprecedented crisis in Tbilisi's relations with the West. The Georgian authorities argue that they are all about transparency and defence of sovereignty.
