On 28 May 2024, the Georgian Parliament adopted the Law on Transparency of Foreign Funding despite widespread opposition from local civil society, donor community, EU and international partners, and a significant portion of the Georgian population.
Over the period of July to September 2024, the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum conducted a consultation on the needs, challenges and expectations of Georgian civil society in the context of the implementation of the law and ahead of the legislative elections scheduled to take place on 26 October.
The results of this survey are now available in a report in digital format on the EaP CSF website.
Highlights from the report
The report adresses several issues mentioned by the surveyed Georgian civil society organisations. These include:
- The general situation of civil society within the last 12 months,
- The immediate impact of the law,
- The specific needs for financial, legal and advocacy support,
- The outlook after October 2024.
The report shows the increasing pressure faced by Georgian which civil society. With nearly all respondent receiving 20% of their funding from international donors, the foreign agent law will strongly impact civil society and its essential work.
The stigmatising effect, disproportionate sanctioning implementation mechanism, and burdensome administrative and monitoring reporting requirements of the law are also severe issues for most civil society organisations.
The report highlights key areas for support from international institutions and donors. 75% of the respondents called for financial support, including funding for covering fees associated with non-compliance with the law. 62% expressed the need for more legal assistance, including pro bono legal assistance by local lawyers, and 57% for advocacy support, including policy dialogue with EU and international stakeholders.
This report will be presented as part of a public event held on Wednesday 16 October by EaP CSF at their office, Avenue de Cortenbergh 120, 1000 Brussels. Attendance is free but registration is compulsory through this link, before October 14th EOB: https://bit.ly/SupportGeorgiaCSO
