Brussels signals concern after talks with Georgia on "Law on Grants" amendments

On February 12, the Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia, Paweł Herczyński, met with First Deputy Foreign Minister George Zurabashvili at the Georgian Foreign Ministry following the ambassador’s request.

The meeting was held to communicate the European Union’s serious concerns over a recently introduced package of amendments to the Law on Grants and related legislative acts.

According to a press release issued by the EU Delegation to Georgia, the amendments — which have already passed a first reading — would represent “another significant threat to civic space and political participation in Georgia.”

During the talks, the ambassador stressed that the proposed measures are “incompatible with Georgia’s commitments under the EU–Georgia Association Agreement and run counter to the commitments sovereignly taken by Georgia as a candidate country for EU membership.”

Herczyński also warned that, if adopted, the amendments could directly and negatively affect the work of diplomatic missions operating in the country, contradicting the provisions and principles of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

The Georgian side, for its part, raised the issue of the European Union sanctions policy. The ambassador noted that the 20th package of sanctions against Russia had been proposed by the European Commission on February 6 and is currently under discussion among EU member states.

Both sides agreed to maintain contact regarding further developments.

By Tamilla Hasanova