On Wednesday, 29 January, the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) approved the report drafted by its Chairperson Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica on the situation in Georgia. Based on this report, PACE will decide on the conditions for future cooperation with Georgia.
“We expect decisive action by Georgian authorities to clearly demonstrate their commitment to reversing the trend of democratic regression and fulfilling the obligations the country has assumed as a Member of the Council of Europe,” Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica says.
The Monitoring Committee has set several conditions for Georgia insisting on its compliance. The main conditions are taking a decision by April on calling a new election, releasing political prisoners and ending violence against civil society taking part in protests.
Furthermore, Georgia needs to work closely with the Council of Europe (CoE), repeal the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence in its current form, and cooperate fully within the monitoring process of the CoE.
PACE warns of a democratic crisis in Georgia and therefore demands immediate reforms. It considers that developments since the parliamentary elections of October 2024, including violations of the freedom of assembly and expression and the crackdown on the opposition and civil society, are in contradiction to Georgia’s membership obligations and accession commitments to the CoE.
“A democratic crisis cannot be resolved without engaging civil society and without inclusive dialogue. The people of Georgia have made their position clear by taking to the streets and their voices must not be ignored. The solution to the democratic crisis is inclusive dialogue and a new election,” Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica emphasises.
To be able to assess compliance with these demands, PACE has currently ratified the credentials of the Georgian delegation with severe restrictions. The Georgia delegates are not allowed to work on several committees, including the Monitoring, Political Affairs and Legal Affairs Committee, they are also prohibited from serving as rapporteurs, being elected to any position or taking part in monitoring or election observation missions.
Compliance with these conditions will be re-examined at the PACE session in April 2025, and in the event of non-compliance a decision will be taken on the complete suspension of the mandate of the Georgian delegation.
The vote by the plenary session of PACE on the report of the Monitoring Committee drafted by Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica is scheduled for 19:00 (EET).
As previously reported, on 27 January, based on the opinion voiced by 30 PACE members on the adverse trends in the situation in Georgia, PACE challenged the credentials of the Georgian delegation and requested the Monitoring Committee to urgently draft a report on the situation in the country and future action to be taken.
Saeima Press Service