MEP Miriam Lexmann condemned the governing Georgian Dream party for reintroducing a bill on agents of foreign influence, arguing that it undermines transparency efforts and civil society while aligning with Putin's Russia.

“The governing Georgian dream party has once again reintroduced the bill on agents of foreign influence. The plain fact is that this law currently in the Georgian Parliament is the same text withdrawn because it violated commission recommendations on Georgia's candidate stages. It is the same text module on Putin's Russia rather than strengthening transparency and the fight against the influence of Kremlin and other authoritarian regimes. The proposed law will undermine the work of civil society and independent media”, Lexmann noted.

She warned that if the law is adopted against the wishes of the Georgian people and in defiance of commission recommendations, a clear response is warranted.

“If the law is adopted against the aspirations of Georgian people and in violation of the commission recommendations then our response should be clear. First we must freeze any opening of accession negotiations of Georgia; second any future financial assistance to Georgia must be made conditional on scrapping these damaging law and finally I once again call on the council to impose targeted sanctions against the oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili and free Mikheli Saakashvili”, Lexmann said.