The draft law prohibiting broadcasters from receiving funding from abroad has been considered and supported by the Parliament’s Sectoral Economy and Economic Policy Committee in its third and final hearing.

The Parliament is expected to approve this amendment to the Law on Broadcasting at its plenary session this week.

The enactment of the draft law prepared by the Georgian Dream will result in a ban on broadcasters receiving funding from abroad. The ban will also apply to social advertisements.

More specifically, an article is being added to the Law on Broadcasting, according to which it will be inadmissible for a broadcaster to receive direct or indirect funding in exchange for placing social advertisements.

The same law prohibits a broadcaster from receiving direct or indirect funding - money or other material benefits of property value - from a foreign power (except for commercial advertising, teleshopping, sponsorship and product placement in a program).

It will also be prohibited for a foreign power to purchase broadcaster's services (except for commercial advertising and product placement) and directly or indirectly finance or co-finance the preparation or broadcasting of a program.

For the purposes of the law, a "foreign power" is considered to be: - a subject constituting the government system of a foreign state; a natural person who is not a citizen of Georgia; a legal entity that is not established on the basis of Georgian legislation; organizational formation - including a foundation, association, corporation, union, other type of organization or other type of association of persons that is established on the basis of the law of a foreign state or international law.