The German Embassy in Georgia has released an excerpt from Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s statement during the joint press conference with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, held in Berlin on April 12, 2024.
Chancellor Scholz addressed the draft law on Transparency of Foreign Influence as follows:
“That’s why I want to reiterate: both we and the entire European Union were critical of the law concerning organizations with foreign influence. When it was halted, we much hoped that it wouldn’t be reintroduced. Now, with this new legislative proposal heading in the same direction, our criticisms remain the same as last time. We hope that this law will not be passed in the current form and that the critical statements will be taken into account […]
The European Union itself does not have such a regulation in place. There is ongoing discussion about implementing measures to enhance transparency in specific areas, but this involves a different regulation and concept from what is being discussed here. Furthermore, no decision has been made yet, and there may not be one. In the past, there was a regulation in Hungary that was invalidated by the European Court of Justice.”
