Georgia may lose its 'safe country' status if it passes the 'foreign agent' law - SPD Germany

Germany on Georgian foreign agents law

According to a representative of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Berlin, Georgia might lose its safe country of origin status due to the adoption of foreign agents law.

During discussions in Budapest, Helge Lindh, a member of the German Parliament, stated that the Federal Government of Germany is closely monitoring political developments in Georgia and assessing the adherence to democratic principles. If it is found that the population of Georgia is facing political pressure, appropriate consequences will follow.

Why Georgia's government seeks to reintroduce 'foreign agents' law: Expert views

JAMnews asked local political analysts to assess this decision by the ruling party “Georgian Dream.”

In January 2023, Georgia and Moldova regained ‘safe country’ status, as defined by the federal government, indicating that citizens of these two countries are ‘generally not at risk’ of political persecution.

Germany grants such status to countries to simplify the migration process. If an asylum seeker is from a ‘safe country,’ their asylum application is processed more quickly.

At present, Germany’s list of ‘safe countries’ includes Ghana, Senegal, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, and Montenegro. Citizens of these countries have very low chances of receiving asylum in Germany.

It is worth noting that Germany intended to recognize Georgia as a ‘safe country’ as early as 2018, a move officially urged by Tbilisi to Berlin. However, Georgia was not included in the list at that time.

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On July 18th of last year, Belgium excluded Georgia from the list of safe partner countries. The Kingdom of Belgium clarified that the decision was based on the commissioner’s opinion.

On July 25th, it became known that Georgians ranked first among citizens residing in residences allocated for Irish asylum seekers.

According to statistics published on July 2nd, 3,432 Georgians reside in residences for asylum seekers, surpassing countries such as Nigeria, Algeria, and Syria in numbers.

According to the Dublin Inquirer, in 2022, over 2,700 people sought asylum from Georgia.