“Countries must learn from Georgia’s example and ensure foreign funding transparency” - Georgian Parliament Speaker welcomes Romania’s draft law on NGO transparency

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday welcomed a draft law in Romania aimed at increasing transparency in NGO funding, saying similar approaches should be applied consistently across all countries.

Papuashvili commented on reports that the Romanian Parliament has registered legislation on associations and foundations intended to strengthen oversight of non-governmental organisations’ financial transparency.

He argued that lessons should be drawn from different countries, including Georgia, and that all states should ensure clarity regarding the sources of foreign funding for NGOs.

“This has directly confirmed that the non-governmental sector is being used for espionage activities, therefore transparency is important and I welcome Romania’s decision. At the same time, I hope that Romania will at least remain passive in relation to Georgia and will not act in a way that portrays us as a second-class country - suggesting that Romania has the right to demand financial transparency to pursue its own interests, while Georgia does not”, he said.

“We know that we are all genetically the same beings - humans - and we all have equal rights. Associations of people - countries - also have equal rights. This is what was established after the Second World War. Before that, things were different, even in Europe - there was segregation of peoples”, Papuashvili continued.

The Speaker highlighted Georgia’s contribution of 300,000 lives in the fight against fascism in Europe and warned that disrespecting equality undermines the post-war international order.

“Those who do not respect sovereignty and equality are dragging the world back to the pre-Second World War era. Therefore, those who want to look forward must return to respect for international law, and what is good for them will most likely be good for Georgia as well”, he stressed.

Speaking about differing reactions to similar laws in Georgia and Romania, Papuashvili noted that “some European political leaders are very loose with their words”, calling their rhetoric insincere.