Reacting to the approval at first reading by the Slovak Parliament of a bill that would label civil society organizations that receive more than 5,000 Euros a year in foreign funding as ‘organizations with foreign support’, Rado Sloboda, Amnesty International Slovakia’s Director, said:
“This bill is a full-frontal assault on civil society, including the functioning and very existence of many NGOs in Slovakia. If passed, it would place unreasonable and potentially fatal bureaucratic and financial burdens on civil society organizations. Those that survive could be demonized and discredited as a way to further hinder their activities.
“While the stated aim of this proposed law is to increase the transparency of NGO funding, it is, in reality, a thinly disguised attempt to stigmatize civil society organizations that are critical of the authorities and hamper their vital work.
“This bill is a near carbon copy of Hungary’s draconian NGO law and it must be rejected because it clearly violates international human rights law. Instead of trying to curtail civil society organizations, the Slovak authorities should recognize and protect their important work and ensure they can work in a safe and enabling environment.”
Background
The bill would force organizations that receive more than €5,000 a year from foreign sources, including funding from other national NGOs that receive foreign funding, to label themselves as “foreign-funded organizations” (FFOs). NGOs would be obligated to disclose the identity and nationality of all donors, contributors, and creditors whose donations, contributions, or loans exceed €5,000 a year in an annual report.
The NGOs with an annual income of more than €50,000 would have to submit an annual report to the Ministry of the Interior, which could fine and dissolve NGOs if they fail to comply with reporting and FFO labelling obligations.
In 2017, Hungary passed a similar law on foreign-funded NGOs, which was repealed in 2021 following a formal notice from the European Union and after the EU Court of Justice struck it down, saying that such restrictions violated EU law.
The right of groups to seek, receive and utilize resources from national, foreign and international sources, which is an essential component of the right to association, is protected under various treaties that Slovakia is a state party, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights.
Published by Amnesty International HERE
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Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 10 million people who are committed to creating a future where human rights are enjoyed by everyone. United by our shared humanity, we know that the power to create positive change is within all of us. https://www.amnesty.org/en/
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