Georgia: EU deplores ‘rushed’ adoption of legislative package on ‘family values and protection of minors’

The European Union yesterday deplored the Georgian Parliament’s “rushed” adoption, in second reading, of the legislative package on “family values and protection of minors”.

“This package undermines the fundamental rights of Georgian people and risks further stigmatisation and discrimination of part of the population,” EU Lead Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Peter Stano, said in a statement. “The EU regrets that legislation with important repercussions on the EU integration path has been passed without due public consultations and a thorough analysis of its compliance with European and international standards.”

He added that ensuring and upholding human rights was at the core of the enlargement process, annually assessed within the European Commission’s enlargement report.

The EU called on the Georgian authorities to entirely reconsider this legislative package. “Such a proposal, combined with the restrictions on civil society imposed by the Law on transparency of foreign influence, will place further strain on EU-Georgia relations,” said Stano.

The EU also recalled that Georgia’s accession process was de facto halted and urged the authorities to recommit to the EU integration path.

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