Parliament Speaker questions EU over NGO funding

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Friday criticised several foreign-funded NGOs for labelling the national legislature as “illegitimate,” questioning whether the EU Delegation to Georgia was inadvertently funding extremism.

In his remarks, Papuashvili addressed statements from several civil society organisations - including Transparency International Georgia, Georgia's Association of Young Lawyers, and the Social Justice Centre - that questioned the legitimacy of the Parliament and accused these organisations of spreading disinformation and undermining democratic institutions.

“The problem here is not so much these low-reputation organisations, but rather their donors. The question is simple, and I’ve been asking it for a while now: Is the EU Delegation prepared to accept that, with funding from its citizens, extremism is being encouraged? Any organisation claiming that Georgia’s Parliament or Government is illegitimate is not only spreading disinformation, but is also refusing to recognise constitutional institutions”, Papuashvili said.

The Speaker focused his criticism on the international donors supporting these organisations, especially those from the European Union.

“We see that in Europe, extremist groups are being countered by the very states that make up the European Union. Against this backdrop, when we see EU-funded organisations rejecting democracy and democratic institutions, thereby promoting extremism, it raises a serious concern: Is this negligence on the part of the EU or its embassies in member states, or is it intentional, to fund the promotion of extremism in Georgia?”, Papuashvili said.

“I am asking this question and expecting an answer - because the answer will define what we are dealing with in this case. I hope there will be an appropriate response”, he concluded.

Papuashvili also reiterated his concerns on social media, following a post by Transparency International Georgia referring to the Parliament as “illegitimate”.

He argued that such rhetoric reflected extremist attitudes and undermined Georgia's democratic institutions.