TBILISI, April 7 – Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party has moved to amend the country’s law on grants once again, in the latest step in a broader tightening of rules around foreign funding of civil society.
According to Interpressnews, lawmakers from the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) have submitted a new bill that would clarify which types of funding should not be treated as grants under Georgian law. The proposed change concerns money issued by accredited diplomatic missions, consular offices and representations of international organizations in Georgia.
Under the draft, such funding would not be considered a grant if it is used, or could be used, for activity arising from the political or public interests, approaches or relations of a foreign government or foreign political party, and is directly linked to the diplomatic mission’s own activity.
The explanatory note attached to the bill says the purpose is to clarify the identity of the grant-giving subject and ensure the law is read in a uniform way. It also says the current version of the law does not already apply to this type of relationship, but argues that a further clarification is still advisable in order to avoid inconsistent interpretation.
In plain terms, the amendment appears designed not to expand the law into diplomatic activity, but to spell out more clearly that certain funds connected directly to the work of embassies, consulates and international organizations fall outside the legal definition of a grant.
The proposal comes against the backdrop of a wider government push to more tightly regulate foreign funding of civil society, since a new law dubbed the ‘foreign agents law‘ by critics was introduced in May, 2024.
