The paper lists Estonia, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Sweden as being among the countries pushing for sanctions at an EU foreign affairs ministers meeting next week.

Options include revoking visa-free travel to the EU for Georgian nationals, targeted sanctions, and the freezing of EU funds, sources said.

The law brands NGOs that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad as foreign agents. Georgian politicians say it is necessary to prevent foreign interference. A similar bill was introduced in Russia in 2012. 

Critics fear it will lead to a crackdown on media, the opposition and civil society. The president has tried to veto the bill, which passed its third reading in the Georgian parliament last week.

EU officials have said the law could jeopardize the countries' accession process.

U.S. lawmakers are already drafting sanctions against the ruling Georgian Dream party, Politico reported this week.

Georgia applied for EU membership in 2022 and was granted candidate status that year. But accession talks have yet to begin, pending the adoption of a set of reforms that the "foreign agents" bill goes against, the FT wrote.

Last week, during a visit to Tbilisi, Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) said Georgia is losing its chance to join the EU.

Prime minister: Various discussions underway

Various discussions are taking place about how to bring Georgia back to the EU path, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Reform) said on Wednesday afternoon.

Estonia does not specifically want something, such as the withdrawal of EU visa-free travel from Georgia, but different options are on the table at the EU level, Kallas said at a press conference after a regular meeting of the National Defense Council.

"Our concern is that, as things stand, Georgia has been granted candidate status, but Georgia's moves are taking them further away from the EU. We have been supporting Georgia for decades, their journey towards the European Union, and have tried to be helpful. But it is disturbing to see reforms being made that go against European values, or to see reforms being reversed. If you look at the violent attacks on the opposition, these are government moves. We are standing by the Georgian people and we are also discussing at the European level what our reaction will be. The dilemma is that, on the one hand, certain moves affect the Georgian people and not the government, but somehow these messages have to be delivered," Kallas said.

This article was updated to add comments from Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.

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