TBILISI -- A key Georgian parliamentary committee has overruled pro-Western President Salome Zurabishvili's veto of the so-called "foreign agent" law, opening the path for lawmakers to put the legislation into effect despite weeks of domestic protests and criticism from the West that the measure is harming Georgia's drive to join the Euro-Atlantic community.
Following the move by the Legal Affairs Committee, parliament, dominated by the ruling Georgian Dream party that has pressed ahead with the law while cracking down harshly on protesters, is to consider overriding Zurabishvili's veto at a plenary session on May 28.
Georgian Dream has a comfortable majority in parliament, with a successful override vote seen as a mere formality.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on May 27 said the bloc had started weighing options should Georgia enact the law. He said a decision will be made next month.
The move came despite a massive peaceful protest in Tbilisi on May 26 and a last-minute warning by Georgian Ombudsman Levan Ioseliani that the law, also referred to as the "Russian law" because of its resemblance to legislation introduced by the Kremlin to stifle opposition and free speech, needs changes to limit the damage it will bring to civil society.
"Accepting this law in this form, in my opinion, has already brought significant damage to the [democratic] process as a whole," Ioseliani told a news conference in Tbilisi on May 27, as he warned of the law's effects.
"Therefore, it would be possible that parliament will refuse to override this veto and...there will be space for making changes in other legislative acts.... In my opinion, retreat is often not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength," Ioseliani added.
Thousands of mostly young people marched in Tbilisi on Georgia's Independence Day on May 26, calling on the ruling Georgian Dream party to scrap the law.
WATCH: On Independence Day, thousands of demonstrators called on the ruling Georgian Dream party to withdraw the law, which is seen as mirroring legislation used in Russia to silence critics and crush opposition.
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Georgia Marks Independence Day Amid Protests Over 'Foreign Agent' Law
"Our fight is tireless, although they thought that we would get exhausted," writer Lasha Bugadze told the crowds of young Georgians who marched peacefully in downtown Tbilisi, waving Georgian and European Union flags. "Neither will we get tired in the coming days, not until the Russian law is withdrawn and Georgia becomes part of Europe," Bugadze said.
The participants raised the flashlights on their cell phones and chanted, “No to the Russian law!” and “No to the Russian regime!”
Earlier on May 26, Zurabishvili, in an Independence Day speech, said integration in the European Union and strong ties to the United States were paramount for the Caucasus nation to preserve its freedom.
"This is the cornerstone of the solution,” she told a crowd on May 26 in Tbilisi’s Freedom Square.
“Today -- when the ghost of Russia stands before us -- partnership and rapprochement with Europe and America is a true way to maintain our independence, peace, and strength,” she said, as she cited the desire of a vast majority of citizens to join the European Union.
Georgia obtained the coveted status of EU candidate country in December, but it has yet to start actual accession talks, which could last for years. There had been hope such talks could start later this year, but Brussels has warned that the "foreign agent" law could endanger the path toward Europe.
Russia still maintains thousands of troops in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, two breakaway Georgian regions that Moscow recognized as independent states following a five-day war with Georgia in 2008.
"No war has been started by [members of the] European Union since its inception,” Zurabishvili said. “Instead, the real war party is one and only one that we see today in our occupied territories: Russian imperialism."
The United States on May 26 marked the Georgian holiday, saying in a statement that it "will continue to strongly support the aspirations of the Georgian people for a Euro-Atlantic future."
"We urge Georgia’s leaders to take the steps necessary to move Georgia forward in the right direction," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
Last week, Blinken announced visa restrictions on Georgian government officials and a comprehensive review of bilateral relations with Tbilisi over the "foreign agent" legislation.
"Anyone who undermines democratic processes or institutions in Georgia -- including in the lead up to, during, and following Georgia’s October 2024 elections -- may be found ineligible for U.S. visas under this policy and precluded from travel to the United States. Immediate family members of such persons may also be subject to these restrictions," Blinken said while announcing the sanctions on May 24.
The "foreign agent" law would require civil society and media organizations that get more than 20 percent of funding from foreign sources to report that fact to local authorities and submit to oversight that could encompass sanctions for as-yet-undefined criminal offenses.
Critics have said the legislation was introduced by Georgian Dream, founded by Russia-friendly Georgian tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili, in order to cement the party's grip on power ahead of elections later this year seen as crucial for Georgia's Euro-Atlantic path.