Georgia

EU eyes targeted sanctions, visa restrictions over Georgia's 'foreign agent' law

Published

1 year ago

June 21, 2024

EU eyes targeted sanctions, visa restrictions over Georgia's 'foreign agent' law

The EU is considering a range of measures, including sanctions on top government officials, cutting financial assistance and restricting visa-free travel, in response to the Georgian government’s controversial ‘foreign agents’ law, according to an internal document seen by Euractiv.

EU foreign ministers on Monday (24 June) are expected to discuss the options paper, drawn up by the bloc’s diplomatic service (EEAS), in response to the passing of Georgia’s controversial ‘foreign agent’ law in May.

Brussels had called on Tbilisi to withdraw the law, which had sparked weeks of mass demonstrations, warning the passing of the bill would hamper its hopes of joining the bloc in the near future.

“There is a broad agreement that the EU has to react, now we just need to find the appropriate balance,” one EU diplomat said, but echoed others that cautioned it remains unclear whether steps will be taken.

Short-term measures

As part of immediate short-term measures, the document suggests suspending high-level bilateral visits, EU-Georgia Association Agreement meetings and events, and pausing discussions, negotiations, and signing of bilateral agreements “as an immediate reaction to the current situation.”

It also suggests to “pause programming and disbursement of funds directly benefiting Georgian authorities and halt discussions on any future assistance to the authorities” as well as a review of the EU financial assistance portfolio,” including to step up support to civil society and independent media”.

It continues that these measures could be lifted once the law is repealed and “provided that EU concerns on democratic backsliding are sufficiently addressed and should be accompanied by clear public messages.”

‘Further deterioration’

In case of “further deterioration of the situation,” such as “use of violence against protesters” or “intimidation or major irregularities in the electoral process,” the options paper proposes deeper-running measures.

According to the document, those would include initially reimposing visa rules on Georgian government officials and diplomats under “a (temporary) Schengen visa requirement for all holders of Georgian diplomatic/service passports”.

In that stage, measures could also consider sanctions under the Global Human Rights Regime “targeting individuals, entities and bodies responsible for, involved in or associated with serious human rights violations”.

‘Last resort’

“In case of significant deterioration of the situation, steps regarding visa liberalisation and enlargement process could be considered,” the paper states.

“But as their adverse impact would be mostly felt by the wider population, they should only be taken as last resort,” the EU option paper cautions.

It adds that this “would require careful and intensive messaging to the Georgian people, explaining that these measures are fully reversible, depending on the actions by the authorities.”

The EU has only suspended visa liberalisation once, in the case of the South Pacific island of Vanuatu.

So far, many EU diplomats have been cautious about restricting EU visa liberalisation, which would not require unanimity but would primarily hit the Georgian population rather than the authorities.

“When you take your measures, you don’t want to alienate the population,” a second EU diplomat said.

“It is a balancing act between the [Georgian] government getting the message and not harming our case with citizens,” they added.

Election impact

The internal document also suggests additional measures could also be considered “in case of election falsification and serious misconduct of the electoral process.”

This would come as Georgia is expected to hold parliamentary elections on 26 October, which the opposition fears could be impacted by the new law.

One of the fears is that election observers and non-governmental organisations involved in citizen participation and transparency could be branded ‘foreign agents’ and prevented from monitoring the polls, Georgian opposition politicians told Euractiv in Tbilisi last month.

Next to the proposed measures, the EU’s diplomatic service in the document also stresses the need for “intensified engagement” in a series of areas unrelated to government contacts.

Those would include strengthening support for civil society and independent investigative media outlets, supporting the electoral process and strategic communication, and countering disinformation.

[Edited by Alice Taylor]

Georgia

Georgia Tech Athletics Receives a Pair of $10 Million Gifts

Published

9 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Georgia Tech Athletics Receives a Pair of Million Gifts

THE FLATS – Two generous, anonymous families have each given $10 million gifts to support Georgia Tech athletics’ Full Steam Ahead initiative and the Yellow Jackets’ football program, Tech vice president and director of athletics Ryan Alpert has announced.

“We’re incredibly grateful to these two generous families for their investments in Georgia Tech athletics and a championship-level football program,” Alpert said. “Led by these families, their relentless investments in our mission and their belief in our upward trajectory, support of Georgia Tech athletics and Tech football are at unprecedented levels.”

With these transformative gifts, Georgia Tech athletics is well on to set a new fundraising record in the 2026 fiscal year, as donor participation is up 21% in just six months since the fiscal year began on July 1.

Additionally, in just 14 months since the public launch of Full Steam Ahead in October 2024, Tech athletics has received nearly $90 million in new commitments to the initiative. In total, nearly $400 million has been raised towards Full Steam Ahead’s $500 million goal, which is a part of the Institute-wide Transforming Tomorrow campaign.

Georgia Tech continues to display its commitment to fielding nationally prominent, championship-level athletics programs. Notably, Tech athletics has committed to making more than $150 million in investments to its football program over the next several years, which includes the opening of the Fanning Student-Athlete Performance Center in the spring (a state-of-the-art facility that will benefit Georgia Tech’s full body of 300-plus student-athletes), a renovation of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field that will be completed prior to the 2027 season, a continued pledge to provide maximum revenue sharing to student-athletes and significant new resources devoted to expand and enhance staff.

To fulfill these commitments, enhanced engagement and support from the Georgia Tech community is vital.

“We still have progress to make to achieve our goal of consistently competing for championships at the highest levels of intercollegiate athletics,” Alpert continued. “Never in the history of college athletics has success been so closely tied to resources, and now is the time to seize the opportunity to take advantage of the great momentum and energy that we’re experiencing on The Flats.

“Every member of the White and Gold community can play a part. We urge fans to get in the game. Whether it be through gifts to the A-T Fund, purchasing tickets and merchandise, corporate sponsorships – every manner of support is vital to the success of Tech athletics.”

For more information and to make a year-end gift to the A-T Fund, visit atfund.org.

Full Steam Ahead

Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.

Fourth Quarter

Less than two weeks remain for the Georgia Tech community to take advantage of the A-T Fund’s year-end Fourth Quarter Initiative, which gives supporters the opportunity to receive four A-T Fund priority points for every $100 donated to the Athletic Scholarship Fund through Dec. 31. The Athletic Scholarship Fund provides direct support for student-athletic scholarships and is one of the A-T Fund’s highest annual priorities, as it helps bridge the gap between endowment returns and scholarship costs.

Fourth Quarter gifts to the Athletic Scholarship Fund will provide donors with four A-T Fund priority points per $100 donated, which is double the two points normally allotted per $100 given. A-T Fund priority points are used to allocate benefits such as seat locations and parking for Georgia Tech athletics home events, as well as access to tickets for away games and postseason events, including ACC and NCAA Championships, bowl games and the College Football Playoff. To contribute to the Fourth Quarter Initiative and begin collecting four A-T Fund priority points for every $100 donated, click HERE. For more information, visit atfund.org/4th-quarter.

For the latest information on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram and at www.ramblinwreck.com.

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Georgia

DA Fani Willis appears before Georgia Senate panel

Published

21 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

DA Fani Willis appears before Georgia Senate panel

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis testifies before a Georgia State Senate committee in Atlanta as she ends her year-long legal fight over a subpoena and defends her actions in the Trump election interference case.

Posted December 17, 2025 10:39pm EST

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Georgia

One of Georgia Tech’s best, Haynes King readies for Yellow Jackets finale

Published

1 day ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

Georgia Tech

A day after receiving ACC honors, Tech’s senior quarterback refocuses on BYU and the bowl game.

Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King (center) and his family react during a senior night event prior to his final home game Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, against Pittsburgh at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta. (Hyosub Shin AJC)

As Haynes King’s time in Atlanta and as a member of the Georgia Tech football program wanes, the inimitable quarterback is soaking in the last few days with teammates while basking in the glow of winning a pair of individual ACC awards.

King was presented two trophies Tuesday — one for being named the ACC player of the year and the other for being named the ACC offensive player of the year — during halftime of Tech’s basketball win over Marist at McCamish Pavilion. The senior was joined by Tech coach Brent Key, Tech athletic director Ryan Alpert, Tech President Angel Cabrera and the ACC’s senior vice president for football, Michael Strickland.

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Chad Bishop is a Georgia Tech sports reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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