PUBLISHED: APRIL 2025

On April 7, the Georgian Dream political party initiated draft amendments to the Law of Georgia on Grants (hereinafter – the amendments) in the parliament. Per the explanatory note published on the parliament’s website, the initiators are seeking expedited consideration of the amendments due to the “special importance of ensuring state sovereignty” and so that there is “an effective instrument to give proper course to the issue of grants received from foreign sources, within the framework of the authorization to declare consent, within a reasonable timeframe.” Local partners believe that the expedited procedure will allow the parliament to adopt the amendments in a very short timeframe without any public discussion.

Notably, the amendments introduce a requirement for grantors  to obtain “consent” (prior approval) from the Government of Georgia (GoG), or a designated authorized body, before issuing grants to eligible recipients, including Georgian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and citizens. The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) is appointed as the authorized body to enforce the implementation of requirements on “prohibited” grants.

The purpose of the Brief is to inform interested persons about key provisions in this legislative initiative. Read the full ICNL brief here.