EU urges Georgia to withdraw "foreign agent" Bill

Thousands of protesters gathered outside Georgia's parliament in Tbilisi, expressing concerns that a new contentious legislation will derail the nation's course towards European Union membership. The legislation, known as the "transparency of foreign influence" bill, was passed by Parliament on Tuesday and requires organizations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as agents of foreign influence. The EU has urged Georgia to withdraw the law, stating that its adoption would negatively impact the country's progress on the EU path. The EU foreign policy chief emphasized that the measure would set back Georgia's ambitions to join the bloc. NATO also warned Georgia that the approval of the bill is a "step in the wrong direction" and moves the country away from European and Euro-Atlantic integration.