Tbilisi mayor accuses EU of pressure over controversial laws

The European Union has been exerting sustained pressure on Georgia in recent years over legislation passed without Brussels’ approval, Tbilisi Mayor and senior Georgian Dream official Kakha Kaladze has said.

Speaking to reporters, Kaladze said the criticism from the EU and Western partners stemmed primarily from Georgia’s adoption of laws independently, including measures they oppose, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

“Over recent years, unprecedented pressure has been exerted on our country,” he said. “The main reason is that we made decisions without their knowledge. We act in the interests of our country.”

He argued that the government’s responsibility was to maintain stability and protect families, adding that Georgia should not be drawn into serving the interests of external powers.

Kaladze said EU concerns were particularly focused on Georgia’s foreign agents transparency legislation and a separate law on the protection of traditional values, both adopted in 2024. He questioned why such measures were seen as incompatible with European democratic standards or EU integration objectives.

Relations between Georgia and the West have deteriorated since the adoption of the foreign agents law in May 2024. Later that year, Georgian lawmakers also passed legislation restricting what they described as “LGBT propaganda”.

Western governments have criticised both measures, arguing they represent a shift away from European values and Georgia’s declared path towards EU integration. In response, the EU and the United States have introduced sanctions against a number of Georgian officials.

By Aghakazim Guliyev