EU countries advised to  adopt Georgian-style foreign agent law

Earlier, Hungary took measures against foreign influence on the country’s domestic policy

Budapest would like all EU countries to adopt a law similar to Georgia’s foreign agent legislation, Balazs Orban, political director of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, said.

“Our intention is not to veto Georgia’s Law On the Transparency of Foreign Influence, but to encourage the introduction of similar laws across the EU! Protecting one’s sovereignty from unwanted foreign interference is not a threat but a precondition for democracy – this is what the law is about, and instead of condemning it, the EU should perhaps also follow the lead,” he wrote on the X social media platform.

Earlier, Hungary took measures against foreign influence on the country’s domestic policy. A law was adopted in December 2023 that bans foreign funding for political parties, which is now considered a crime punishable by up to three years in prison. The document was developed following the 2022 parliamentary election with opposition parties’ campaigns funded from the US and Western Europe.

Georgia’s parliament passed the third reading of the bill On the Transparency of Foreign Influence on May 14. Protests against the bill have been going on in the country for several weeks. On some occasions, the rallies escalated into clashes with the police, who used force to disperse protesters.

The bill has been criticized by the US, the UN, the EU, NATO, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe. Leaders of Georgia’s ruling party argue that it only serves to ensure transparency of foreign funding to non-governmental organizations and media outlets. Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said she would veto the bill.