MOSCOW, May 22. European Commission (EC) may not confirm Georgia's EU candidate status if the law on foreign agents is not revoked, Foreign Policy reports, citing a senior EU official.
Earlier, the Financial Times newspaper reported that a number of European Union countries are considering sanctions measures on the Georgian authorities, including the suspension of the visa-free regime, due to the law on foreign agents.
«The most likely scenario will be that in October, unless the law is withdrawn, the EC will tell the Georgian government that it will not confirm the candidate's status… when it publishes its annual report on countries involved in the accession process (to the EU),” the magazine said.
It is noted that the foreign ministers of the European Union countries will meet at the end of May and, most likely, will discuss a possible response to the introduction of the law.
Last week, the Georgian parliament passed the law “On Transparency of Foreign Influence” in the third and final reading, despite street protests. Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili on Saturday vetoed the law on foreign agents, calling it “Russian” and “unconstitutional.” To override a presidential veto, parliament needs a simple majority of votes. Earlier, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated that the parliament could support a veto if the motivated remarks submitted by the president were acceptable. Zurabishvili decided not to propose any changes to the document and noted that this law is not subject to amendments or improvements, it must be categorically repealed.