15% of U.S. Aid to Georgia Govt Conditioned on Rights and Liberties

The U.S. House Appropriations Committee on July 9 approved the fiscal year 2021 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs bill on a vote of 29 to 21. The legislation, funding international programs and activities of the U.S., recommends not less than USD 132,025,000 assistance for Georgia, with 15 % of the funds available to the Georgian Government conditioned to the state of democracy in Georgia.

Referring to withholding 15% of assistance funds made available to the central Georgian Government, the bill says that the Secretary of State shall consider whether the Government of Georgia is taking effective steps to:

  • effectively implementing electoral reform;
  • respecting the independence of the judiciary, including from legislative or executive interference;
  • effectively implementing the necessary policies to ensure accountability and transparency, including unfettered access to public information;
  • protecting the rights of civil society, opposition political parties, and the independence of the media; and
  • limiting the informal influence of oligarchs over functions of government and the application of laws and regulations.

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