In an effort to regulate foreign influence in Georgia, the Georgian parliament, People’s Power, as it is called, introduced two bills in late February, “on the registration of foreign agents” and “on the transparency of foreign influence.” People’s Power broke away from the ruling party, Georgian Dream (GD), so it could be more open about expressing certain viewpoints.

The first bill proposed establishing a public transparency database in which nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and media outlets would be required to register and disclose their funding and would be considered “foreign-influenced agents” if they received more than 20 percent of their funding from a foreign power. If they did not register, they would be fined.

The second bill was stricter than the first but softer than the United States Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). FARA is used to limit foreign influence in the United States by requiring those who work in the service of foreign governments and entities to register and report their activities to a federal agency. FARA’s purview is not limited to NGOs or the media but applies to individuals as well; it also includes prosecution, which the first Georgian bill does not. While the first bill requires almost all Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and media organizations receiving funding to register in the database, the second bill only applies to anyone working on behalf of a foreign government or entity, however, the consequences are far more severe.