According to USAID Administrator Samantha Power, the law on "foreign agent" has no place in Europe, and experience shows that such laws have an impact on accountability for corruption and freedom of speech.

Speaking before the Senate about the agency's annual budget and priorities, Samantha Power was asked by Senator Jeanne Shaheen: What impact can the so-called "foreign agent" law have, if the parliament passes it?

"We've seen copycat versions of Russia's foreign agent law appear in many places, and the results are less accountability for corruption and restrictions on free speech. Of course, Georgia is now on, or seems to be, on the path to Europe and has recently received some recognition of these ambitions. Fundamentally, there is no place for such a law of foreign agents in Europe. Human rights and democratic principles must not only be recognized, but also protected," said Samantha Power in response to the Senator’s question.

On April 3, the parliamentary majority leader of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Mamuka Mdinaradze, announced the reintroduction of the draft law on foreign agents, which was dropped last year after the massive rallies on March 7-9. According to Mdinaradze, the content of the bill remains the same, the only change is in the title: the word “agent” in it has been removed and the title has been replaced with “Organization Pursuing the Interests of a Foreign Power”. The decision has drawn sharp criticism from the civil society and opposition within the country and from Georgia’s international partners.