David McAllister: By attempting to ban all major opposition parties, the regime has taken another drastic step toward authoritarianism.

"By attempting to ban all major opposition parties, the regime has taken another drastic step toward authoritarianism," David McAllister, Chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs, stated during a debate in the European Parliament regarding Georgian Dream's attempts to ban opposition parties.

“A candidate country in name only—that is how the European Commission described Georgia when presenting the 2025 enlargement report. Unfortunately, nearly a year later, the Tbilisi regime is once again confirming that this assessment was correct. By attempting to ban all major opposition parties, the regime has taken another drastic step toward authoritarianism.

As Helmut Brandstätter has already mentioned, on September 30, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation were forced to close their offices [in Tbilisi] due to new regulations on foreign grants. These measures establish far-reaching state control over international funding and, in some instances, even open the door to criminal prosecution.

For over a decade, both foundations have contributed to political education, democratic pluralism, and European integration. It is now more important than ever to stand with the Georgian people, the vast majority of whom are united around the goal of European integration,” stated McAllister.