“The amendment to the Law on Grants does not concern NGOs receiving or agreeing to grants, but rather the consent process for grant issuance,” said the Georgian parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili.

“Under the amendment, donors will need to obtain government approval before issuing a grant. This is not about NGOs receiving grants but about transparency in the issuance process. Any honest donor acting in the interests of the Georgian people has nothing to hide. Such initiatives have always been and will continue to be supported by the government,” Papuashvili told journalists.

He added that the change aims to eliminate harmful practices and bring transparency to donor activities.

“We’ve seen cases where dishonest donors, like the European Endowment for Democracy, secretly funded radical groups and parties using intelligence-style methods. These activities came to light by chance, including significant foreign interference in the October 26 elections, financed by such donors,” Papuashvili said. He recalled that just days before the elections, on October 20, a major rally was held in Liberty Square, not by political parties but by NGOs funded with foreign money. “This was unprecedented and a clear example of inappropriate foreign involvement in domestic politics,” Papuashvili concluded that the amendments will allow the government to identify and prevent grants that promote division, hatred, or political interference.

The proposed changes to the Law on Grants will define the procedures and grounds for questioning individuals about receiving a ‘prohibited grant.’