OMM Redaksiyası
Four major German political foundations have suspended their activities in Georgia. German Ambassador to Georgia Barbara Voss said government decisions had forced the organizations to pause their work. The Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation closed their offices in Tbilisi on September 30.
The office closures have renewed attention on Georgia’s Law on Grants and raised questions about the future of civil society, research and education projects funded from abroad in the country.
Foundations’ activities in Georgia
German political party-affiliated foundations receive funding from the state budget and work internationally in civic education, political dialogue and institution-building. Their areas of activity in Georgia differed.
The Konrad Adenauer Foundation, affiliated with Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), has operated in Georgia since 2003. It has carried out projects on democracy, the rule of law, parliamentary development, European integration, interfaith dialogue and German-Georgian relations.
The Friedrich Naumann Foundation, affiliated with the Free Democratic Party (FDP), has promoted liberal values, pluralism, civic participation and the rule of law, and held training sessions for independent journalists.
The Heinrich Böll Foundation, affiliated with the Green Party, opened its regional office for the South Caucasus in Tbilisi in 2003. Its work has included democratization, gender equality, environmental issues, dialogue on conflicts and the history of the Soviet era.
The Friedrich Ebert Foundation, affiliated with the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), has focused on social democratic values and cooperation with independent trade unions, including research on occupational safety.
The foundations’ work has included training, conferences, research, publications and grants for local partners. Although the foundations say their work is independent of party interests, Georgian officials have disputed that position. Voss also cited scholarships, scientific cooperation and Eastern Partnership projects among the areas of German-Georgian cooperation under pressure.
Grant rules tightened
Under amendments adopted in April 2025, foreign donors must obtain government approval before issuing grants in Georgia. The legislation prohibits accepting grants issued without that approval.
Further amendments adopted in March 2026 broadened the definition of a grant and expanded the scope of regulation. A person who receives a grant without the required approval may be fined twice the grant’s value. Under the law, liability for a violation may be imposed for up to six years after the incident.
The Georgian government says the rules are intended to protect the country’s sovereignty and prevent foreign interference. Officials say foreign donors have not been banned from operating but must comply with national legislation.
The foundations say the new requirements prevent them from operating independently. The Konrad Adenauer Foundation said the Georgian authorities rejected its applications for project funding on July 28. It said efforts by the German government to find a way for it to continue its work had been unsuccessful.
According to the foundation, approval appeared possible only under conditions that would prevent its projects from reflecting its political character and mission.
The Friedrich Naumann Foundation, which has worked in Georgia since 2002, said it had applied under the new legislation and was seeking to fund projects and continue cooperation with local partners. The foundation said the Georgian authorities required all parts of its programs to be aligned with government priorities and individual activities to receive separate approval. In the foundation’s view, these conditions prevent it from operating independently as a liberal political foundation.
Voss also warned about the future of Ilia State University, which receives significant support from Germany and has close academic ties with the country. The ambassador said the university’s existence was at risk. Georgian authorities rejected that assessment.
The grant legislation is part of a broader package of laws regulating foreign-funded activities. Georgia’s Law on the Registration of Foreign Agents provides for fines or up to five years in prison for certain deliberate violations, including failure to comply with registration requirements.
The legislation has drawn criticism from international human rights organizations and European institutions. The Georgian government says stronger safeguards are necessary to protect the country from foreign political interference.
The dispute comes as Georgia’s European Union accession process remains stalled. The European Council said in October 2024 that the process had been de facto halted. The following month, the Georgian government announced it would not put the opening of EU accession negotiations on the agenda until 2028.
In March 2026, the European Commission suspended visa-free travel for holders of Georgian diplomatic, service and official passports for 12 months. The decision did not apply to people holding ordinary Georgian passports.
Georgian officials have responded to criticism from Berlin with accusations of their own. Irakli Kirtskhalia, a lawmaker from the ruling Georgian Dream party, said the foundations would receive approval if they proposed grant programs the government considered appropriate. Pointing to the results of elections in Germany, the country’s economic situation and energy difficulties, he also stressed that Berlin alone does not decide which countries join the EU.
Archil Gorduladze, chairman of the parliament’s Legal Issues Committee, called the foundations’ claims disinformation. Responding to remarks by the German ambassador that he characterized as threats, he cited the Vienna Convention.
There are no signs that either side is ready to change its position. The foundations’ office closures have created another point of contention between Tbilisi and its European partners and put one of the longstanding areas of German-Georgian cooperation under pressure.
