On April 25, the European Parliament passed a resolution with 425 votes in favor, 25 against, and 30 abstentions, condemning Georgia's proposed Foreign Agents bill. 

The resolution asserted that the draft law contradicts Georgia's democratic values and European Union (EU) ambitions, highlighting the potential obstacles it creates for civil society and human rights - violating the Copenhagen criteria necessary for EU membership. It advised that EU accession talks should be suspended as long as this legislation remains within Georgia’s legal framework. It urges the European Commission to deliver an interim review of Georgia's adherence to the EU’s nine conditions.

Further amendments within the resolution call for the immediate release of former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and assess the draft law's impact on Georgia's fulfillment of the visa liberalization benchmarks. The resolution also calls for the Georgian government to withdraw the anti-LGBTQ+ constitutional amendments.

Initial resolutions against the reintroduced bill had urged the Georgian government to abandon it altogether, citing its contradiction to democratic norms and its potential to enhance Russian influence by limiting Western engagement in Georgia. The resolution emphasized the significant backing of Georgian NGOs by Western sources, viewing the bill as an attempt by the Georgian Dream party to decrease Western influence.

The resolution highlighted instances of excessive force used against peaceful demonstrators. It reiterated calls for sanctions against Ivanishili due to his perceived efforts to align Georgia more closely with Russia, thereby deteriorating the political process and opposing the interests of the Georgian people.

In the subsequent resolution, the severity of the text was heightened, suggesting that the legislation could lead Georgia toward a Russian path. Should any such laws be enacted, it recommended that EU sanctions be applied to all Georgian Parliament members who supported the bill. It also proposed making all EU financial assistance to Georgia conditional on removing this law from Georgian legislation.

Calls were also made to Salome Zourabichvili, the President of Georgia, to exercise her constitutional powers to address Saakashvili's incarceration on humanitarian grounds. The resolution further invited international observation missions to closely monitor Georgia's upcoming elections.

An additional resolution underscored the dangers the draft law posed to Georgian watchdog organizations and the country's European trajectory, urging the EU to remind Georgia of its commitments to EU values and principles made upon its EU membership application. It sought an interim report on Georgia’s implementation of the nine conditions and reaffirmed the European Parliament’s solid support for Georgia’s EU aspirations.

Another resolution condemned both the draft law on Foreign Agents and the anti-LGBTQ+ Constitutional amendments proposed by the ruling party, labeling these actions as attacks not only on the LGBTIQ+ community but also on freedom of speech and broader civil liberties, thereby hindering Georgia's EU accession efforts. It called for retracting the proposed constitutional amendments and recommended redirecting EU funds to Georgian civil society organizations instead of the government.

The final resolution discussed the broader implications of the Foreign Agents Bill, warning of the restrictive impact on Georgian civil society organizations and the European future. It condemned the wider attacks on civil society and reputable international donors supporting democracy, the rule of law, and human rights in Georgia. Additionally, the resolution denounced the anti-LGBTQ+ Constitutional amendments as anti-European and emphasized that if the Foreign Agents bill were adopted, it would breach the Council of Europe's rule of law standards as interpreted by the Venice Commission, possibly leading to sanctions against those involved in its adoption.

Response from Georgia 

Shalva Papuashvili, the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, recently dismissed the significance of resolutions passed by the European Parliament regarding Georgia, declaring them non-binding. "Just as their previous declarations on Georgia had no meaning not only for our country but also for the European Union, this resolution will remain just a sad story in the archives of the European Parliament," Papuashvili commented.

Echoing this sentiment, Kakha Kaladze, General Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party and Mayor of Tbilisi, criticized the latest resolution, which condemns the policies of the Georgian authorities and calls for sanctions against them. He labeled the resolution as a 'shameful waste paper.'

"Today, the European Parliament adopted another shameful resolution. Those deputies who supported this waste paper have once again inflicted a heavy insult to European integration and the European idea, which is based on freedom, equality, transparency, and truth. The mouths of MPs who are mired in lobbyism have told the Georgian people that we must release Mikheil Saakashvili - a criminal who has created a vicious system of torture, murder, racketeering, suppression of people, and rape in our country," Kaladze stated.