The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, condemned, on 1 and 2 May respectively, the violence in the streets of the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, following the second reading of the controversial law on the transparency of foreign influence.
In separate statements, Ms Pejčinović Burić stated that she was “deeply concerned by developments” and Ms von der Leyen said she was following the situation with “great concern”.
The Georgian police used water cannon, tear gas and pepper spray against the tens of thousands of demonstrators and dozens of people were arrested. “Disproportionate use of force against demonstrators is incompatible with human rights standards”, warned Ms Pejčinović Burić, explaining that Georgians should be able to peacefully exercise their rights to freedom of assembly and expression. “Georgia’s citizens are demonstrating their strong attachment to democracy. The Georgian government should heed this clear message”, stressed the President of the European Commission.
The EU and the Council of Europe have repeatedly expressed their concerns about the Foreign Influence Transparency Bill (see EUROPE 13393/35, 13392/30). “Given the major concerns about its compatibility with European democratic and human rights standards, I call on Georgian lawmakers to wait for the forthcoming opinion of the Venice Commission and to consider its recommendations before making any final decisions”, stressed Ms Pejčinović Burić. The Georgian Parliament still has to adopt the law on third reading.
Recalling that in December 2023 the European Council had granted Georgia the status of candidate country and set out a clear path towards the opening of accession negotiations (see EUROPE 13314/1), Ms von der Leyen said that she expected the Georgian government to rapidly implement the measures it had committed to take as a candidate country. “Georgia is at a crossroads. It should stay the course on the road to Europe”, she warned, reiterating that the Georgian people want a European future for their country. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)