Estonia is one of several countries requesting the European Union discuss sanctioning Georgian leaders after they passed a Russian-inspired “foreign agents” law last week, the UK newspaper The Financial Times reported on Wednesday.
The paper lists Estonia, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Sweden as being among the countries pushing for sanctions at an EU foreign affairs ministers meeting next week.
Options include revoking visa-free travel to the EU for Georgian nationals, targeted sanctions, and the freezing of EU funds, sources said.
The law brands NGOs that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad as foreign agents. Georgian politicians say it is necessary to prevent foreign interference. A similar bill was introduced in Russia in 2012.
Critics fear it will lead to a crackdown on media, the opposition and civil society. The president has tried to veto the bill, which passed its third reading in the Georgian parliament last week.
EU officials have said the law could jeopardize the countries’ accession process.
U.S. lawmakers are already drafting sanctions against the ruling Georgian Dream party, Politico reported this week.
Georgia applied for EU membership in 2022 and was granted candidate status that year. But accession talks have yet to begin, pending the adoption of a set of reforms that the “foreign agents” bill goes against, the FT wrote.
Last week, during a visit to Tbilisi, Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) said Georgia is losing its chance to join the EU.
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