Our door is open, so I call on the leaders of Georgia to reflect the expectations of the citizens and not divert the country from the European path, - European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, said at the plenary session of the European Parliament.

"During the last few weeks, thousands of Georgian citizens took to the streets to exercise their right to peaceful demonstration. They once again demanded that the officials withdraw the "Foreign Influence Transparency" bill. We have already seen impressive scenes from Georgia last year. Citizens of all ages held Georgian and EU flags, showing a strong connection to democracy, our shared European values and Georgia's path to the EU. At that time, the ruling party and the government made a public promise to the citizens of Georgia that such a bill would never be returned.

I call on the political leaders of Georgia to withdraw the draft law, as it happened last year. It is clear that this bill does not comply with EU norms and values. If adopted, it will undermine Georgia's progress towards the EU.

The future of Georgians lies in the European Union. The candidate status, which was granted to [Georgia] last year, brought our relations closer. Our door is open, so I call on the leaders of Georgia to reflect the expectations of the citizens and not to deviate the country from the European path. The work of civil society and media organizations is critical to any democracy. Georgia has a very vibrant civil society that has contributed to the country's success and progress towards EU membership.

The proposed draft law will limit the freedom of civil society and media organizations. It will limit freedom of expression and unfairly stigmatize civil societies that benefit the citizens of Georgia. This will also affect EU support to the people of Georgia, as part of it is implemented through non-governmental organizations. "Transparency should not be used as a tool to limit the ability of civil society to act freely," said Janez Lenarčič.

According to him, they demand commitment to the principles of democracy, the rule of law and human rights from the EU candidate country.

"The European Commission in its enlargement report emphasized the work that Georgia should do, specifically 9 steps. As an EU candidate country, Georgia is expected to comply with the Copenhagen criteria. Specifically, we demand commitment to the principles of democracy, the rule of law and human rights. Only substantial and irreversible progress in these key areas determines the opening and speed of the accession negotiations", the European Commissioner notes.