Georgia’s government is facing mounting criticism over a draft amendment to its grant legislation, officially presented as a technical adjustment aimed at increasing transparency over foreign funding. Critics, however, warn that the proposal could significantly expand state control over civil society and professional activity. The concerns were outlined by Grigol Julukhidze, a strategic adviser at Soluctory Advisory, in an interview for TVP World’s Eastern Express program. He said that the proposal remains in draft form and that its final impact will depend on how it is enforced and on the content of secondary legislation. “The core issue here is not the legitimacy of regulation as such, but the extraordinary scope and vagueness of the mechanisms proposed,” he said. According to Julukhidze, key terms in the draft — including “foreign entity cooperation” and “indirect benefit” — are either undefined or so broadly framed that they could apply to almost any form of professional interaction. “Even a physical person receiving funds from another physical person abroad, regardless of purpose or scale, may fall within regulatory oversight,” he warned. The draft could also affect non-financial cooperation. Julukhidze said that sharing expertise or analysis without any transfer of funds could still be scrutinized if authorities decide it indirectly benefits a foreign entity. “In the absence of objective criteria, interpretation becomes politically or administratively motivated rather than legally grounded,” he said. He argued that legal ambiguity shifts power from written law to enforcement bodies, creating a chilling effect. “Lawful behavior is abandoned preemptively due to regulatory uncertainty,” Julukhidze said, adding that the burden would fall primarily on journalists, academics, consultants and civil-society experts rather than large international organizations. Julukhidze also drew parallels with Georgia’s previously adopted foreign influence law, which requires organizations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register. He described the current amendment as “a continuation of that line,” warning it could further consolidate the ruling Georgian Dream party’s dominance amid a weakened opposition and declining international engagement.
