Borrell: the doors to the EU will be closed for Georgia if the government continues its actions
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy noted that the people of Georgia will have to pay for the actions of the government
BRUSSELS, June 24th. /tass/. The European Union will close its doors to Georgia if the country's government continues its current course. This was stated by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrel, upon arrival at a meeting of the Council of the European Union.
"The EU doors are open for Georgia now. But if the government continues to do what it is doing, these doors will be closed," he said, expressing the opinion that the people of Georgia will have to pay for the actions of the government.
According to Borrell, the foreign ministers will discuss the situation in Georgia and the potential actions of the EU against its background. "I will inform you about the results of the discussion after the meeting," he added.
On May 14, the Georgian Parliament adopted the law on transparency of foreign influence in the third reading, which provoked harsh statements from the European Union and the United States. President of the Republic Salome Zurabishvili vetoed the law on May 18, but Parliament overcame it on May 28. Non-governmental organizations have repeatedly stated that they will not be registered in the register in the event of the adoption of the law, as they do not consider it fair to be called organizations pursuing the interests of a foreign force. The ruling party claims that this definition is correct if they receive funding from abroad and they are only required to be financially transparent.
The law applies to non-governmental organizations and the media, more than 20% of whose funding comes from abroad. They will be required to submit a declaration of income and expenses to the Ministry of Justice in January of each year. In case of non-fulfillment of this obligation, they will be fined 25 thousand lari (more than $8,700). If the declaration is not provided after the fine, 20 thousand lari (about $7 thousand) will be charged for each month of delay.