Co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for the monitoring of Georgia, Edite Estrela (Portugal, SOC) and Sabina Cudic (Bosnia and Herzegovina, ALDE), released a joint statement following their visit to Georgia from 10 to 12 November 2025.

According to the statement published on the PACE website, the co-rapporteurs urged the authorities to fully implement the Venice Commission’s recommendations regarding the foreign agent legislation and the law on administrative offences.

“We reiterate what the Assembly already stated in its last resolution on Georgia. The Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence, the Georgian Foreign Agents Registration Act, the Law on Grants and the current Law on Administrative Offences are incompatible with European standards and norms, and as the Venice Commission concluded, they should be repealed,” the co-rapporteurs underlined.

The PACE delegation members also expressed deep concern about recent criminal charges brought against the leadership of democratic opposition parties, who could face lengthy prison sentences on trumped-up charges for crimes against the state.

“These charges are clearly politically motivated and should be seen in connection with the recent appeals to the Constitutional Court to ban several major opposition parties in Georgia. Such actions have no place in a democratic society. We urge the authorities to end these actions, which would effectively establish a dictatorship in Georgia,” the co-rapporteurs added.

The statement reads that during their visit, the co-rapporteurs met with the Speaker of Parliament and members of the Georgian Dream parliamentary faction, as well as representatives of all parliamentary and extra-parliamentary opposition parties.

“They welcomed the fact that their request to meet imprisoned political leaders had been granted, but they deeply regretted the refusal by the representatives of the government to meet them, as well as the fact that their request to meet with Mzia Amaghlobeli in prison was refused by the authorities. During their visit, the co-rapporteurs emphasised their willingness to engage with the authorities to address the Assembly’s demands and concerns,” reads the statement.