European Integration Committee Chair: Our goal is to control external interference as much as possible
Levan Makhashvili, Chairman of the Parliament’s European Integration Committee, stated that the Georgian authorities aim to limit external interference in the country’s internal processes as much as possible. He made this statement while commenting on statements by EU officials Marta Kos and Kaja Kallas regarding the legislative amendments prepared by the parliamentary majority.
“This legislation is the result of the absence of dialogue with the government. Certain actors are doing everything they can to pursue their own agenda while bypassing the authorities. There is no need to reinvent the wheel — the simple solution is to talk to the government about the processes they are promoting in Georgia.
If they continue with a closed-door policy and refuse dialogue, the need to adopt similar legislation naturally arises. Instead of communication and cooperation, we are seeing radical actions promoted in various forms. Their apparent goal is to bypass transparency legislation. If their intention is to operate within the law and in Georgia’s interests, then why avoid transparency?
We must balance multiple interests amid today’s geopolitical chaos. Our goal is to ensure that the country controls external interference as much as possible. If they choose to continue escalating the situation, that is their decision.
We offer a simple solution: engage in dialogue with the government, not with radical forces they have previously been associated with. The choice is clearer than they imagine: talk to the government,” he stated.
For context, the majority leader, Irakli Kirtskhalia, announced following the parliamentary majority session on January 28 that several legislative amendments had been drafted. Notably, according to Kirtskhalia, an amendment has been made to Georgia’s Law on Grants, establishing criminal liability and making external lobbying punishable. Amendments have also been prepared to the Law on Political Associations of Citizens and legislation concerning the public political activity of entrepreneurial entities.
The initiatives prompted reactions from the European Union. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said, “As we have done before, we are supporters of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and press freedom is one of those. So, we definitely expect that we will take steps towards those who are conducting this”. European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos stated, “I cannot support the government, which is working against its own people. The country is drifting more and more away from the future EU perspectives.”
