In a short note released on the X network, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that "Portugal deeply regrets the adoption by the Georgian parliament of the law 'on the transparency of foreign influence'". For Portuguese diplomacy, the new legislation, also known as the "Russian law", which was approved today in a tense session alongside protests near the parliament in Tbilisi, "questions the Georgian people's desire for democracy, protection of human rights and the rule of law on Georgia's path to EU accession". The new law establishes that the media, non-governmental organisations and other non-profit entities must register as defenders of the "interests of a foreign power" if they receive more than 20% of funding from abroad. The text is almost identical to the one that the ruling party, Georgian Dream, was pressured to withdraw last year, after protests similar to those that have occurred in recent days in Tbilisi. This version was approved in the third and final reading in parliament. The ruling party states that the law is necessary to contain what it considers to be foreign influence that is harmful to Georgia's political activity and to prevent unidentified external players from attempting to destabilise it. However, the opposition and thousands of demonstrators who took to the streets of the capital argue that it is a "Russian law", claiming that Moscow uses similar legislation to stigmatise independent media and organisations that are critical of the Kremlin (Russian presidency). The EU has also regretted the approval of the controversial law, warning that it will be an obstacle in Tbilisi's accession process to the community bloc. The law will be sent to the President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, a pro-European who increasingly disagrees with the ruling party and who has promised to return the document, although Georgian Dream has a sufficient majority to override the veto. After the approval, and amidst protests that continue in Tbilisi, the Georgian opposition demanded international sanctions against the deputies who voted in favour of the controversial law. "We demand that the international community impose sanctions on the 84 deputies who voted in favour of this law", Levan Bezhashvili, deputy and president of the political council of the United National Movement, the country's largest opposition group, told the press. According to the politician, with the approval of this law the ruling party, Georgian Dream, "practically handed Georgia over to Russia, established a Russian regime in the country and declared war on its own people". His party colleague and also parliamentarian Tinatin Bokuchava, who today participated in a meeting of opposition members with the US Undersecretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, James O'Brien, argued that "the United States has all the options to protect the Euro-Atlantic path" chosen by the people of Georgia. "All options are on the American table", said the deputy, who pointed to the adoption of sanctions against the honorary president of Georgian Dream, the oligarch and former prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, who made his fortune in Russia, the representatives who supported the law and the heads of the security forces who dispersed the protests in recent days in Tbilisi. Since last December, Georgia has had the status of EU candidate, following what the European Commission classified as an "impressive commitment" by the Georgians to European integration. Read also: Georgia. Opposition demands sanctions against deputies in favour of the "Russian law" (Portuguese version)