On 23 April 2024, Janez Lenarčič, European Commissioner for Crisis Management, attended a plenary session of the European Parliament (EP) in Strasbourg, France, on the attempts to reintroduce a foreign agent law in Georgia and its restrictions on civil society.

In March 2023, Georgia’s ruling party attempted to pass a controversial bill on “foreign agents”. The law would have required civil society groups and the media to register as being “under foreign influence” if they receive funding from abroad. This type of funding is a lifeline for most non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on human rights as they often receive scant domestic support.

The Georgian government, led by the Russian-leaning Georgian Dream Party, was forced to withdraw its bill after mass protests broke out. But now, a little over one year later, the bill has been advanced again and thousands of Georgians have taken to the streets in protest once more.

This video shows an opening statement given by Janez Lenarčič on this occasion.