Young woman faces right-wing extremist protesters and waves the rainbow flag at an anti-violence pro-LGBT+ rally in front of Parliament. Tbilisi, Georgia. July 6, 2021. Guram Muradov/Civil.ge
On September 4, the European Union released a statement deploring “the hasty adoption at second reading” of the anti-LGBT legislative package entitled “On family values and protection of minors,” and said that the package “infringed the fundamental rights of the… “undermines the Georgian people.” There is a risk of further stigmatization and discrimination against part of the population.”
The EU noted that such a proposal, together with the restrictions on civil society imposed by the Foreign Agents Law, “will further strain EU relations with Georgia.”
On September 4, the Georgian Parliament passed this controversial law in the second plenary hearing with 81 votes in favor and 0 against. The ruling party plans to pass the law at the third hearing in September, weeks before crucial parliamentary elections on October 26. The ruling party did this Made homophobia one of his campaign pillars.
The EU noted that this law has a “significant impact on the path of EU integration” and “regrets” that it was adopted “without adequate public consultations and a thorough analysis of its compliance with European and international standards.”
The EU stressed that “ensuring and respecting human rights is at the heart of the enlargement process and is assessed annually in the European Commission's Enlargement Report” and calls on the Georgian government to “completely reconsider” the package.
“The EU recalls that Georgia's accession process has effectively come to a standstill and urges the authorities to recommit to the path of EU integration,” the statement concluded.
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