Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I raise the question of the ongoing protests in Georgia. As the Minister of State will know, Ireland has very friendly relations with Georgia but we have seen in recent months, in particular in recent weeks, growing protests on the streets of Georgia against the transparency of foreign influence Bill that the Georgian Dream party is trying to introduce, but also against the increasing crackdown on any form of dissent within that country. The fear among many of those who are opposed to what is happening is that, because this Bill is very much based on Russian law, it is an effort on the part of the Georgian Dream party to stifle all opposition ahead of October's parliamentary elections. We saw a similar law introduced in Russia in 2012 and we know what has happened in Russia, with cultural figures, journalists, civil society groups and others having experienced serious efforts to stifle their voices and, in some cases, we have seen imprisonment and worse.

In April, the European Parliament called for sanctions against the founder and leader of Georgian Dream, Bidzina Ivanishvili. The vote in the European Parliament was 425 to 25. This individual is a billionaire oligarch who made his money in Moscow in the 1990s and has parroted Russia's line regularly in Georgia. The laws he is trying to ensure are introduced in Georgia, as the European Parliament and others have pointed out, are very much against EU values. We have seen a crackdown on the LGBT community and journalists and opposition politicians have been targeted, imprisoned and beaten.

I applaud the bravery of the demonstrators in Georgia in the past two weeks. They have been met with tear gas and rubber bullets, even though these are peaceful demonstrations. Given that Georgia was granted EU candidate status in December 2023, that polls consistently show over 80% of Georgians would like to join the European Union, and that Ireland has always been a strong supporter of enlargement by following the process, it is a serious concern that we are seeing the oppression of human rights in Georgia.

I believe we should continue to support Georgia in its moves towards membership of the European Union but, as we have done with Belarus and other countries, we need to point out where there are serious abuses of human rights and efforts to undermine democracy. We are 20 years on from the EU’s biggest enlargement when ten countries, mostly in central and eastern Europe, joined the EU family. I am sure the Minister of State would agree that, at some stage, it would be great to see Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia all in membership, having followed the process and having agreed to all of the necessary rules that apply to accession. However, what is going on at the moment in Georgia is not acceptable. It is important we show solidarity with those who are fighting to maintain democracy there and, if necessary, that we ensure sanctions are placed on those trying to crack down on human rights.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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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.

Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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I am grateful to the Minister of State and the Minister for Foreign Affairs for setting out clearly Ireland's continuing support for democratic values in Georgia and making it clear to the Georgian Government that membership of the European Union will be dependent on ensuring that democracy, human rights and the rule of law are respected. I encourage the Minister for Foreign Affairs to continue with this line.If necessary, the EU should take action, including sanctions, against some of those who are engaging in democratic backsliding. This particularly applies to those who are protesting, journalists, and opposition politicians. What we are seeing happen in Georgia is deeply worrying. It is another example of Putin's attempts to influence the countries of central and eastern Europe. We need to continue to show solidarity with the people of Georgia who want democracy and human rights.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland stands with the Georgian people in their pursuit of democracy and membership of the European Union. We will continue to urge the Georgian Government to withdraw the law and implement the necessary reforms to ensure Georgia's place in the EU. The EU has made it abundantly clear to Georgia that it is willing to work with the country to advance its European perspective but the Georgian Government must respond to this by abiding by European Union values, rules and norms. We are not seeing this. I urge Senators to use whatever contacts they have with the Georgian parliamentarians to encourage them to move in a different direction. Ireland will continue to engage with its partners in the EU on an appropriate response to the adoption of the transparency of foreign influence law and our wider concerns on the Georgian Government.

Following on from discussions at the Foreign Affairs Council on Monday, in which the Tánaiste participated, the EU's response will be further discussed at the June Foreign Affairs Council and European Council. The European Commission will report on Georgia's progress as part of that annual autumn package of enlargement reports. This will be another important juncture.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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Thank you, Senator Byrne. I thank the Minister of State for his time in taking all the Commencement matters. We know how busy he is so his time in the Seanad is appreciated.