BRUSSELS — The European Union has issued a sharp rebuke of Georgia’s recent adoption of the Foreign Agents Registration Act , calling it a “serious setback for the country’s democracy” and warning that Tbilisi’s European aspirations are now in jeopardy.

In a joint statement released today, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas and Commissioner for Equality Marta Kos condemned the legislation, which mirrors similar repressive laws in Russia and other authoritarian regimes.

“Georgia’s Foreign Agents Registration Act marks a serious setback for the country’s democracy,” the statement read. “Alongside recent laws on broadcasting and grants, it represents another aggressive action by the Georgian authorities to suppress dissent, restrict freedoms, and further shrink the space for activists, civil society, and independent media.”

The law, which requires non-governmental organizations (NGOs) receiving foreign funding to register as “foreign agents,” has drawn widespread criticism from international human rights groups, local activists, and diplomatic missions in Georgia.

The European Council had previously expressed concern over Georgia’s democratic backsliding in its June and October 2024 conclusions , noting that such actions jeopardized the country’s path toward European Union membership. Since then, the EU said, accession talks have effectively been put on hold.

“The accession process has been de facto halted,” the EU reiterated in today’s statement. “The EU reiterates its call on the Georgian authorities to heed their citizens’ clear demands for democracy and a European future.”

The statement also urged the release of all unjustly detained journalists, activists, protesters, and political leaders who have faced increasing pressure under the current administration.

The EU made clear that the responsibility for reversing this democratic decline rests solely with the Georgian government.

“The EU is ready to consider the return of Georgia to the EU accession path if the authorities take credible steps to reverse democratic backsliding,” Kallas and Kos stated.

The joint message underscores the bloc’s deepening frustration with Georgia’s trajectory at a time when many of its citizens continue to express strong support for integration with Europe.

As the EU stands firm on its conditionality, the question remains whether Georgia’s leadership will respond to domestic and international calls for reform—or continue down a path that risks isolating the country both politically and economically.

Joint Statement by High Representative/Vice-President Kaja Kallas and Commissioner Marta Kos on Georgia’s Foreign Agents Registration Act

Source link

• The loan will support Teknia’s research and development (R&D investments) in Spain, Poland, Romania, Germany, Sweden and Czech Republic to develop more sustainable manufacturing technologies for automotive components.
• This operation by the European Investment Bank (EIB) supports innovation and sustainability in a strategic sector for the EU economy.
• The agreement contributes to the EIB’s strategic priorities of innovation, climate action and cohesion.
• The operation is backed by InvestEU, an EU programme that aims to unlock over €372 billion in investment by 2027.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Teknia have signed a loan worth €30 million to finance the company’s research and development activities, and measures to apply them in manufacturing of components for the automotive sector.  Teknia is a Spanish company present in 13 countries specialised in the manufacture of metal and plastic components for mobility solutions using a wide range of technologies.

The EIB loan will support Teknia’s investments in R&D and in its facilities located in Spain, Poland, Romania, Germany, Sweden and Czechia. The investments will focus on the application of advanced manufacturing technologies, product diversification and cutting CO2 emissions. The company, one of the leading Spanish automotive suppliers, will reinforce its manufacturing capabilities and digitalization which are important pillars of its strategic plan in course.

The operation contributes to the EU’s cohesion policy as a significant part of the investments (approximately 51%) will be made in cohesion regions.

“We are very pleased to be joining forces with Teknia to foster innovation and sustainability in the European automotive sector,” said Antonio Lorenzo, head of the EIB’s Corporate Lending Division Spain and Portugal. “This new financing is a clear example of how the EIB is helping companies to become more sustainable, more innovative and more competitive while contributing to strengthening Europe’s leading position in strategic sectors”.

“This important loan will allow us to keep growing during these challenging times in the automotive sector and focus even more in innovation to manufacture the mobility of the future in our plants in the most sustainable way, decreasing the carbon footprint of the group”, Javier Quesada de Luis, Teknia CEO, explained. “We look to the future with optimism and will keep reinforcing our operations digitalizing our plants and innovating to codevelop new products together with our clients”.

The EIB operation will boost EU competitiveness and help to reindustrialise a sector undergoing transformation due to the impact of developments like electrification and digitalisation.

The loan contributes to the EIB Group’s strategic priorities of innovation and climate action and cohesion. These are three of the Group’s eight priorities set out in its Strategic Roadmap for the years 2024-2027.

The EIB loan is partially guaranteed by InvestEU, the flagship EU programme to mobilise over €372 billion of additional public and private sector investment to support EU policy goals from 2021 to 2027.

Background information

EIB

The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight core priorities, we finance investments that contribute to EU policy objectives by bolstering climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, high-impact investments outside the European Union, and the capital markets union.

The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security.

All projects financed by the EIB Group are in line with the Paris Climate Agreement, as pledged in our Climate Bank Roadmap. Almost 60% of the EIB Group’s annual financing supports projects directly contributing to climate change mitigation, adaptation, and a healthier environment.

Fostering market integration and mobilising investment, the Group supported a record of over €100 billion in new investment for Europe’s energy security in 2024 and mobilised €110 billion in growth capital for startups, scale-ups and European pioneers. Approximately half of the EIB’s financing within the European Union is directed towards cohesion regions, where per capita income is lower than the EU average.

High-quality, up-to-date photos of our headquarters for media use are available here.

InvestEU

The InvestEU programme provides the European Union with crucial long-term funding by leveraging substantial private and public funds in support of a sustainable recovery. It also helps mobilise private investment for EU policy priorities, such as the European Green Deal and the digital transition. InvestEU brings together under one roof the multitude of EU financial instruments available to support investment in the European Union, making funding for investment projects in Europe simpler, more efficient and more flexible. The programme consists of three components: the InvestEU Fund, the InvestEU Advisory Hub and the InvestEU Portal. The InvestEU Fund is implemented through financial partners that invest in projects, leveraging on the EU budget guarantee of €26.2 billion. The entire budget guarantee will back the investment projects of the implementing partners, increasing their risk-bearing capacity and mobilising at least €372 billion in additional investment.

Teknia

Teknia is a multinational group specializing in the manufacturing of mobility components through metal and plastic components in a wide range of technologies.

Founded in 1992 as a global supplier to the automotive industry, Teknia is present in 13 countries, with 23 plants and more than 3,500 employees. The company’s clients include the world’s leading vehicle manufacturers, as well as other Tier-1 suppliers. Teknia’s revenues reached €431 million in 2024.

With an estimation of around 12 million people with a history of cancer in Europe, including around 300 000 children, effective therapies and supportive care are key not only to ensure higher survival rates, but also to improve patients’ quality of life before, during and after the treatment.

During this year’s European Week Against Cancer, discover EU-funded projects and initiatives that are working to provide cancer patients with the highest quality of life possible.

EU4Health

OACCUS (Outdoor Against Cancer Connects Us) developed and sustained a network of young people living with cancer to improve their quality of life through the promotion of a healthy lifestyle based on outdoor sports and exercise, a healthy nutrition, physical and mental wellbeing and a healthy environment.

The project developed a virtual platform with a total of 280 resources for young people living with cancer including articles, videos and podcasts, and trained a network of 500 Ambassadors.

The Joint Action eCAN identified actions and developed a roadmap for scaling up e-health, telemedicine and remote monitoring applications to reduce cancer care inequalities across the EU. The roadmap provides the state of play of current telemedicine practices, envisions the future landscape of digital health in the EU, and outlines recommendations that need to be taken to transition from the current state of play to the desirable future situation. According to the project conclusions, integrating telemedicine into day-to-day healthcare practices requires a combination of policy frameworks, IT infrastructure development, training and educational resources, stakeholder engagement, integration into healthcare systems, and continuous evaluation. Concretely, eCAN recommended engaging patients in the design and testing of telemedicine services, while also offering specialised training and resources to healthcare providers and caregivers to assist patients in adopting this new technology.  Moreover, eCAN highlighted the need to ensure the development of solid IT infrastructures for telemedicine services and the exchange of health data among EU countries.

The work done during the project’s two years of existence will continue with the next Joint Action, eCAN Plus, a four-year initiative that will aim to enhance the digital capabilities of cancer centres in the EU, with a particular focus on Eastern Europe. Its wider scope aims to address new challenges, such as enhancing digital collaboration within and among cancer centres and aligning cancer centres with the European Health Data Space infrastructures.

HaDEA is also managing a contract to produce a study to map the provision of healthcare to Adolescent and Young Adults (AYA) cancer patients and survivors in all EU countries, Norway and Iceland. Based on the evidence collected, the study will document and analyse major barriers and enabling factors for the design and provision of quality care before, during and after cancer treatment, while also highlighting best practices and innovative approaches. The contractors will develop recommendations for future actions at the national level and suggest strategies to improve the provision of targeted healthcare to AYA cancer patients and survivors.

Another study on the quality of life for cancer patients and survivors (CanQoL+) aims to examine the policy actions implemented across countries to monitor and improve quality of life, as well as identify common indicators to comprehensively assess progress on quality of life across European countries, Norway and Iceland.

Horizon Europe

EUonQoL is establishing a standardised, patient-centred approach for assessing the quality of life of cancer patients and people with a history of cancer across Europe. By developing a harmonised methodology, the project seeks to generate reliable, comparable data to inform policy and improve patient outcomes.

Based on a literature review and co-design activities with cancer patients, caregivers and relevant stakeholders, the project has already developed a set of quality-of-life questionnaires and piloted them in cancer centres across Europe. The next phase focuses on the implementation of these questionnaires in the form of surveys at the national and European levels and spontaneous data collection, while exploring practical ways by which EUonQoL can synergise with leading initiatives and organisations in European and national cancer policy.

Background

EU4Health is the fourth and largest of the EU health programmes. The EU4Health programme goes beyond an ambitious response to the COVID-19 crisis to address the resilience of European healthcare systems. The programme provides funding to national authorities, health organisations and other bodies through grants and public procurement, contributing to a healthier Europe. HaDEA manages the vast majority of the total EU4Health budget and implements the programme by managing calls for proposals and calls for tenders.

Horizon Europe is the research and innovation programme of the EU for the period 2021-2027. The aims of Cluster 1 ‘Health’ include improving and protecting the health and well-being of citizens of all ages by generating new knowledge, developing innovative solutions and integrating where relevant a gender perspective to prevent, diagnose, monitor, treat and cure diseases. Horizon 2020 (H2020) was the EU’s multiannual funding programme between 2014 and 2020.