The Venice Commission rejects Georgian bill "On Deoligarchization"
Venice Commission rejects bill on deoligarchization
The draft law “On deoligarchization” prepared by the Georgian Dream party cannot be considered “democratic or effective and can become an instrument of influence of the authorities on opponents”. This is the conclusion of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, which studied the bill and urged the Georgian authorities not to accept it.
The commission says that instead of this law the government should carry out “systemic reforms”, including creating an effective competition policy, strengthening the fight against top-level corruption, making public procurement transparent, strengthening media pluralism, and making property information more transparent.
The Georgian government claims that it has taken into account all the recommendations of the commission to obtain EU candidate status.
According to government representatives, the law on “deoligarchization” will go into effect on March 1, 2024.
● The Parliament of Georgia adopted the bill on deoligarchization in the second reading on 16 November. The bill was later sent to the Venice Commission.
● De-oligarchization is one of the 12 recommendations that Georgia must fulfill in order to obtain EU candidate status. Georgia is waiting for an interim assessment of the European Commission in the summer, and the final decision on granting candidate status is expected at the end of the year.
Venice Commission rejects bill on deoligarchization
