“The European Council urges the Georgian authorities to make their intentions clear by reversing their current course of action that threatens Georgia's EU path and effectively halting the accession process.”, Out Here are the conclusions from the summit:
Georgia was granted EU candidate state status in December after receiving a list of steps needed to progress, including judicial reform.
But the bloc has been critical of the passage of new foreign influence laws that will come into effect next month.
It would require media and non-governmental organizations that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “organizations acting in the interests of foreign powers” and undergo rigorous audits or face punitive fines.
The Georgian government argues that the regulation will ensure transparency in the flow of funds to support NGOs and protect Georgia from foreign interference.
Opponents have dubbed the bill the “Russian law” because of its similarity to existing Russian law, and believe its real motive is to stifle dissent ahead of parliamentary elections in October.
The United States has said the law threatens freedom of speech.
Thousands of Georgians protested, and there were reports of NGO workers, activists and opposition politicians being threatened or physically assaulted at rallies.
EU leaders also called on Thursday to stop “escalating acts of intimidation, intimidation and physical attacks against civil society representatives, political leaders, civil activists and journalists”.
They said they would continue to closely monitor the situation in Georgia and urged the government to ensure that the upcoming elections were “free and fair.”
