Georgian Parliament official highlights transparency as key amid EU informal influence investigation proposal

Nikoloz Samkharadze, the Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Georgian Parliament, on Monday responded to reports of an initiative within the European Parliament to investigate informal influences.

In his remarks over the matter, Samkharadze noted that this issue had been a long-standing problem, often overlooked, and that Georgia was among the first globally to speak out about it.

The Parliament official emphasised that Georgia, as a state, welcomed all forms of transparency.

“You remember the enormous wave of criticism and hate that followed every attempt to address this issue. It’s a positive step if others adopt the Georgian experience - and we welcome that. As a state, we support all forms of transparency. We also welcome transparency within the organisation we aspire to join, whether it concerns state institutions or non-governmental organisations”, Samkharadze said.