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TBILISI – A key Georgian parliamentary committee has canceled pro-Western President Salomé Zurabishvili's veto of the so-called “foreign agents” law, paving the way for lawmakers to put the legislation into force despite weeks of domestic protests and criticism from the West that the measure harms Georgia's desire to join the Euro-Atlantic Community.

Following the legal affairs committee's decision, parliament, dominated by the ruling Georgian Dream party, which has pushed forward the law while harshly cracking down on protesters, is expected to consider overriding Zurabishvili's veto during a plenary session on May 28.

Georgian Dream has a comfortable majority in Parliament, and a successful priority vote is considered a mere formality.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on May 27 said the bloc had begun weighing options if Georgia passed the law. He said a decision would be made next month.

The decision was made despite a massive peaceful protest in Tbilisi on May 26 and a last-minute warning from Georgian mediator Levan Ioseliani that the law, also called “Russian law” due to its resemblance to legislation introduced by the Kremlin to stifle opposition and freedom of expression, must be amended to limit the damage they will cause to civil society.

“Accepting this law in this form has, in my opinion, already caused significant damage to the [democratic] process as a whole,” Ioseliani said at a press conference in Tbilisi on May 27, while warning of the effects of the law.

“Therefore, it would be possible that Parliament refuses to override this veto and… there will be room to make changes to other legislative acts… In my opinion, a withdrawal is often not a a sign of weakness but a sign of strength,” added Ioseliani.

Thousands of people, mostly young people, marched in Tbilisi on Georgia's Independence Day, May 26, calling on the ruling Georgian Dream party to abandon the law.

WATCH: On Independence Day, thousands of protesters called on the ruling Georgian Dream party to withdraw the law, seen as a reflection of legislation used in Russia to silence critics and crush opposition.

“Our fight is tireless, even if they thought we would burn out,” said writer Lacha Bugadze. said the crowds of young Georgians who marched peacefully through downtown Tbilisi, waving Georgian and European Union flags. “We will not get tired in the coming days either, until the Russian law is withdrawn and Georgia becomes part of Europe,” Bugadze said.

Participants raised their cell phone flashlights and chanted, “No to Russian law! and “No to the Russian regime!” »

Earlier on May 26, Zurabishvili, in an Independence Day speech, said integration into the European Union and strong ties with the United States were paramount for the Caucasus nation to preserve his freedom.

“This is the cornerstone of the solution,” she told the crowd on May 26 at Freedom Square in Tbilisi.

“Today, as the ghost of Russia looms before us, partnership and rapprochement with Europe and America is a real way to maintain our independence, peace and strength,” he said. she declared, citing the wish of a large majority of citizens. to join the European Union.

Georgia was granted coveted EU candidate country status in December, but it has yet to begin real accession negotiations, which could last for years. It had been hoped that such negotiations could begin later this year, but Brussels warned that the “foreign agents” law could endanger the path to Europe.

Russia still maintains thousands of troops in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, two breakaway Georgian regions that Moscow recognized as independent states following a five-day war with Georgia in 2008.

“No war has been started by [members of the] European Union since its creation,” Zurabishvili said. “On the contrary, the real party of war is the one and only that we see today in our occupied territories: Russian imperialism.”

United States on May 26 brand the Georgian party, saying in a statement that it “will continue to strongly support the aspirations of the Georgian people for a Euro-Atlantic future.”

“We urge Georgian leaders to take the necessary steps to move Georgia in the right direction,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Last week, Blinken announced visa restrictions for Georgian government officials and a comprehensive review of bilateral relations with Tbilisi over “foreign agents” legislation.

“Anyone who undermines democratic processes or institutions in Georgia – including before, during, and after Georgia's October 2024 elections – could be denied U.S. visas under this policy and barred from traveling to the states -United. members of these individuals may also be subject to these restrictions,” Blinken said in announcing the sanctions on May 24.

The “foreign agents” law would require civil society and media outlets that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from foreign sources to report this to local authorities and submit to oversight that could include sanctions for criminal offenses still undefined.

Critics said the legislation was introduced by Georgian Dream, founded by pro-Russian Georgian tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili, to consolidate the party's grip on power ahead of this year's elections, seen as crucial to the Euro path. -Atlantic Georgia.