James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Byrne for raising this very important issue of the need for the Minister for Foreign Affairs to make a statement on the ongoing protests in Georgia and to reiterate Ireland's support for Georgia's path to accession to EU membership. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

I welcome the discussion of this matter and thank the Senator for raising it. Ireland has always been a strong supporter of EU enlargement. The Senator referred to the largest-ever enlargement and, of course, Ireland had the EU Presidency at that time and we were very proud of that, and those countries were very grateful to Ireland. The Government was a part of the important December decision of the European Council to grant EU candidate status to Georgia, provided that Georgia undertook the appropriate reforms as outlined in the Commission’s enlargement report. However, the adoption of the foreign agents law and democratic backsliding by Georgia since then are very disturbing developments.

EU enlargement is a merit-based process. Advancing on the EU integration path must go hand in hand with progress on EU-related reforms. Ireland, along with our EU partners, has consistently urged the Georgian Government to withdraw the transparency of foreign influence law. Regrettably, on 28 May, the Georgian Parliament overruled the President’s veto and the Bill will be signed into law following final signature. The legislation is not in line with core EU values and norms and threatens Georgia’s path towards EU membership. It is a clear attempt by the Georgian Government to limit Georgia’s vibrant civil society and criticism towards the Government.

This law contradicts the will of the Georgian people, who have consistently and overwhelmingly pushed for a democratic and European future for their country. The Georgian people have shown their commitment to European values by coming out onto the streets in their thousands to protest since the introduction of the Bill. The heavy-handed response to peaceful protests by the Georgian authorities has been unacceptable. Opposition politicians have been expelled from parliament and, in extreme cases, they have been physically beaten. Journalists and media officials covering the events have also become targets of the Georgian authorities. Online media platforms have been barred from reporting on parliamentary proceedings and several journalists have been assaulted by riot police. Not only does this behaviour infringe on the Georgian people’s right to freedom of assembly, it is incompatible with a functioning democracy and fuels political polarisation in Georgia.

Ireland has echoed High Representative and Vice President Josep Borrell and President von der Leyen in urging the Georgian Government to withdraw the legislation and in condemning the disproportionate use of force against the protestors. We have been clear in our engagements with Georgia that the European Union is a Union of values and that the best way to secure Georgia’s progress towards EU membership is by demonstrating genuine commitment to European values and to the human rights of all citizens. The Tánaiste emphasised this point to Foreign Minister Darchiashvili when they met in Dublin last September. Along with our EU partners, Ireland has been clear that the transparency of foreign influence law will negatively impact Georgia’s progress towards EU accession. The Tánaiste, along with the foreign ministers of 11 other EU member states, wrote to High Representative and Vice-President Borrell and Commissioner Várhelyi earlier this month requesting an update on how the proposed law would impact Georgia’s EU candidate status and completion of reform recommendations, and they did so at the EU Foreign Affairs Council on Monday, which the Tánaiste attended.

The adoption of the foreign agents law is part of a larger, worrying trend of democratic backsliding by the Georgian Government. The proposal to introduce anti-LGBTQI legislation+, anti-EU rhetoric and accusations that its closest partners are complicit in a so-called global party of war all paint a worrying picture for Georgia’s future. The announcement that the Georgian Government will create a database containing information on all individuals involved in or publicly supporting violence, threats, and blackmail during the protests against the draft foreign agent law is also deeply concerning.