On Tuesday, the first five Georgian non-governmental organizations were added to the "foreign agents" registry.
This occurred two months after the law "On the Transparency of Foreign Influence" came into effect in the country, as reported by Echo of the Caucasus.
The organizations included in the "foreign agents" registry are the Youth Organization of Ukrainians in Georgia - Svitanok, the Professional Union of Farmers and Agricultural Workers of Georgia, the Kutaisi Youth House, the Union of Christians, and the Jewish Cultural and Educational Fund.
At the same time, only the names of the organizations were published on the public registry website in Georgia, and information about their finances remains unavailable.
As is known, on August 1, Georgia launched the registry of non-governmental organizations and media funded from abroad, created based on the "foreign agents" law.
Many non-governmental organizations and media outlets have stated that they will not comply with the law "On the Transparency of Foreign Influence" and will not register in the Ministry of Justice's registry as required by the law.
Failure to comply with the law, including refusal to register, could result in significant fines for media outlets and NGOs. To identify organizations "advancing the interests of foreign powers" and to verify compliance with the law, the Ministry of Justice may conduct monitoring at any time, and an authorized official may obtain necessary information, including personal data.
Georgia's international partners have explicitly stated that the adoption of this Russian-style law will significantly distance the country from the European Union. According to the EU ambassador to Georgia, Pawel Herczynski, the process of Georgia's accession to the union is currently suspended. In contrast, the "Georgian Dream" party claims that it is preparing for EU membership by 2030.
