European Commission report: Restrictive legislation related to ‘foreign influence’ enables the suppression of dissent – the increasing concentration of political power within the ruling party and executive institutions continued
The increasing concentration of political power within the ruling party and executive institutions continued. Parliamentary oversight of the executive and security services remains limited, - reads a report on Georgia, prepared as part of the European Commission’s 2026 enlargement package.
“Recent legislative and institutional changes have further centralized decision-making and regulatory functions in key areas within the government administration, including public administration, the judiciary and security. This has resulted in weakened institutional independence and fewer checks and balances. Conditions for participatory decision-making remain inadequate, as mechanisms for involving civil society and the public in policy and decision-making are still lacking.
State authorities continue to exercise political, administrative and financial pressure on local decision-making, with supervision and coordination mechanisms between the national and local levels remaining underdeveloped. The decentralisation strategy for 2020-2025 expired and a new strategy is not yet in place”, reads the report.
According to the report, civil society, including human rights defenders (HRD), operates in a repressive environment that has continued to deteriorate. The cumulative effect of the recent legal amendments and intimidation tactics has weakened civil society’s democratic function, threatening its independence, sustainability and the broader foundations of democracy in Georgia.
“Restrictive legislation related to ‘foreign influence’ (including the Law on transparency of foreign influence, Foreign Agents Registration Act, amendments to the Law on grants, relevant amendments to the Criminal Code) subjugates the work of civil society organisations (CSOs) to undue state scrutiny and enables the suppression of dissent. The legal framework is inconsistent with international human rights standards. The October 2025 and October 2026 Venice Commission Opinion on laws relating to ‘foreign influence’ concluded that these laws impose extensive and overlapping obligations combined with harsh liability rules that disproportionately burden and subject to control democratic watchdogs and HRDs. The Venice Commission found that their cumulative effect is coercive, stigmatising and ultimately threatens democratic pluralism.
The financial stability of CSOs has been severely impacted by these cumulative legislative measures taking effect. In addition, the bank accounts of several leading NGOs have been frozen in a preventive measure linked to an ongoing criminal investigation. The March 2026 amendments to the Law on grants and parallel amendments to the Criminal Code tighten the operating framework and severely restrict civil society’s access to foreign funding. The rules broaden the definition of a grant to cover virtually all forms of foreign support, mandate prior authorisation from the government and expand the application to foreign-registered legal entities with a focus on Georgia under a threat of criminal liability with up to 6-12 years’ imprisonment for non-compliance.
Following the abolition of the Anti-Corruption Bureau in March 2026, Georgia transferred the mandate to monitor application of legislation governing civil society activities to the State Audit Office. This monitoring contributes to the intimidation of civil society organisations. The key mechanisms for policy dialogue and civic participation in policymaking and lawmaking have not been restored”, reads the document.
