Is it possible that a single piece of legislation could sway Georgia – an official candidate for EU membership since December – away from its EU path? And if so, does it mean that Vladimir Putin is winning back this Soviet republic, the birthplace of Stalin? Triggering boisterous protests, Georgia’s parliament gave its initial approval on Wednesday (17 April) to a bill on “foreign agents”, which the European Union said risked blocking the country’s path to membership. Georgia’s foreign agent law would label any civil society or media organisation that received at least 20% of its funding from outside Georgia as “organisations doing the bidding of foreign powers.” Such organisations would be subject to “monitoring” by the Ministry of Justice, and organisations that do not comply would be subject to large fines. European Council President Charles Michel did not mince his words. “Let me be clear: the draft Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence is inconsistent with Georgia’s EU aspiration and its accession trajectory and will bring Georgia further away from the EU and not closer,” he posted on X. Critics compare the foreign agent bill to a law that Russia has used extensively to crack down on dissent among NGOs and independent media. Russia’s influence in Georgia should not be underestimated. Under Vladimir Putin, Russia has become an imperialist power for which territories such as Georgia should be vassal states or – if they resist – should be taken over. Benefiting from the Black Sea coast, Georgia has historically been the favourite vacation venue of the Russian Empire and the USSR. It is famous for its wines (Georgia claims to be the birthplace of winemaking) and for being the birthplace of Stalin, the dictator responsible for the deaths of millions in the Soviet Union, who was put back on a pedestal under Putin. |