The law On Transparency of Foreign Influence came into force today.
As stated in the law published in the Legislative Bulletin, the purpose of the law is to ensure the transparency of foreign influence. It regulates the registration of subjects as organizations representing the interests of a foreign power. It addresses other issues related to the transparency of the activities of such organizations.
Additionally, the legislative bulletin clarifies that this law does not restrict the activities of entities registered as organizations carrying out the interests of a foreign power based on its provisions.
This law mandates the registration of non-commercial entities and media outlets designated as ‘organizations serving the interests of a foreign power’ if they receive more than 20% of their income from abroad. According to the law, these organizations must register in a public database under the same name and declare their received income annually. The Ministry of Justice is authorized to conduct research and monitoring to identify such organizations, with monitoring permitted once every six months. Failure to register as an “organization carrying out the interests of a foreign power” or neglecting to submit the required declaration will lead to a fine of 25 thousand GEL.
Additionally, the law outlines several other fines: Failure to fill out the application form within ten working days of accessing the Ministry of Justice’s website will result in a fine of 10 thousand GEL; If defects in the documents are not corrected within the specified period, a fine of 10 thousand GEL will be imposed; Committing an offence stipulated by the law after one month will result in a fine of 20 thousand GEL.
