Transparency International Georgia based on the international best practices and considering challenges facing Georgia, developed a legislative proposal on strengthening parliamentary oversight over the security sector. The legislation will help the country to fulfill the recommendations proposed by the European Commission. The legislative proposal will be submitted to the Parliament in the coming days.

In the 9 November 2023 report, the European Commission recommended the European Council granting the status of candidate country to Georgia once 9 priorities are addressed. Priority 5 underscores the need for Georgia to ensure effective parliamentary oversight, notably of security services.

The legislative proposal is based on Transparency International Georgia’s numerous reports addressing this very matter. Prior to submitting it to the Parliament, we aim to refine the legislative proposal by proactively sharing our recommendations with the members of the Parliament and hearing their insights.

The legislative proposal will address the following crucial issues:

• Establishment of a new parliamentary body (committee, sub-committee, or trust group with an expanded mandate) dedicated to overseeing the security sector;
• Comprehensive expansion of parliamentary oversight encompassing operations of the State Security Service of Georgia, personal data protection and confidential procurement within the security sector;
• Creation of a council with subject matter experts that will competently scrutinize the activities of the security service.