Shalva Papuashvili, Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, expressed concern about the use of EU funds for lobbying and election interference, following revelations that European funds were allocated to political campaigns. He noted that, until recently, the U.S. administration had been reluctant to disclose that taxpayer dollars were being used to stir unrest in other countries, a claim they dismissed as fraudulent. Papuashvili pointed out that this issue also extends to European Union funds.

“The European People’s Party has finally taken notice of this issue. They’re alarmed to learn that EU budget allocations were directed towards lobbying efforts. We’ve been raising these concerns for some time, and it seems the message is now getting through,” Papuashvili said.

He further criticized the EU’s involvement in Georgia's parliamentary elections, where funds were allegedly used to organize campaigns against the Georgian Dream party. According to Papuashvili, the EU ambassador was directly involved in efforts to undermine the party, with EU-funded NGOs organizing a large public rally just days before the elections. This, he argued, demonstrated the type of lobbying, corruption, and foreign election interference that distorted Georgia’s democratic process.

The European Commission itself, he concluded, admitted that these funds had been misused for lobbying purposes, particularly to silence opposition and hinder political discourse.