Georgia’s proposed “foreign agents” bill has sparked significant controversy and protests in the country, as well as alarm from European nations. Here are the key points:

1. The bill would require organizations in Georgia that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “foreign agents” or face heavy fines. This is similar to a law in Russia that has been used to crack down on civil society groups and independent media.
2. Tens of thousands of Georgians have taken to the streets in the capital Tbilisi to protest against the bill, seeing it as a step towards autocracy and away from Georgia’s aspirations to join the European Union.
3. The bill is being pushed by the ruling Georgian Dream party and its allies who control parliament. It is expected to pass despite opposition.
4. Georgia’s President Salome Zourabichvili has criticized the bill as “an exact duplicate” of Russia’s foreign agents law and has vowed to veto it, though her veto can be overridden in Georgia’s parliamentary system.
5. European nations and bodies like the EU and Council of Europe have voiced serious concerns that the bill could endanger Georgia’s democratic path and prospects for closer EU ties. Some fear it brings Georgia closer to Russia’s sphere of influence.

In essence, the foreign agents bill is seen by critics as an attack on Georgia’s civil society, a curb on free speech, and a worrying authoritarian turn away from the country’s stated goal of greater European integration. Its passage is likely to significantly strain Georgia’s relations with Europe.