Letter from European Parliamentarians to Borrell: Suspend Georgia’s EU candidacy
On May 7th, 31 members of the European Parliament wrote to Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, asking him to suspend Georgia’s candidate status due to increasing authoritarianism in the country
On May 7, a group of 31 MEPs from the European Parliament wrote a letter to the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell calling for the suspension of Georgia’s EU candidate status.
The correspondence mentioned the ‘persistent undemocratic conduct of the Georgian officials, particularly their assertiveness in enforcing a Russian-style legislation on foreign operatives, suppressing and employing coercion against tranquil protesters, has exceeded the threshold.’
The draft law on foreign agents would require organizations receiving foreign funding to be labeled as foreign agents and subject to stricter scrutiny. The law, scheduled for its third and final reading on May 17, is likely to crack down on NGOs and civil society organizations, including those overseeing election integrity and government corruption.
This reflects oppressive Russian statutes utilized to suppress critics of the Kremlin regime and is commonly known in Georgia as the ‘Russian law.’
Attempts to pass the law have sparked nightly mass demonstrations across the country. In response, police have stepped up their crackdown on protesters using tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons.
The letter called on Borrell to “take a tough stance” that would “send a clear signal to Georgian authorities.”
In recent years, we have exerted relentless efforts to back the Georgian populace and their ambitions to align with the EU. We persist in this endeavor; however, the democratic standards for all EU prospective nations are uniform and demand adherence,” the letter concluded.
Polls consistently indicate that approximately 80% of Georgians endorse EU membership.
Source: Newsroom
