The Hungarian government must initiate the repealing of the Lex NGO!

press release, Civilization coalition

In its decision today the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) echoes the Hungarian civil society’s opinion of past years: the law on the transparency of foreign funded organisations (commonly known as the law on NGOs) is stigmatising, harmful and goes against EU law. According to the CJEU ruling, the restrictions in the law run contrary to the obligations on Member States in respect of the free movement of capital, the right to respect for private and family life, the right to the protection of personal data, the right to freedom of association, and undermines the general confidence in NGO-s.

In the summer of 2017 the European Commission launched an infringement procedure against Hungary regarding the law on foreign-funded NGOs voted in June 2017. In February 2018, the Commission referred the case to the CJEU to decide whether the law complies with EU legislation.

This decision is very important for the whole of Hungarian society because the Hungarian government has been trying to ruin NGOs for years. One of their methods, among others (such as keeping lists of people working for NGOs, or organizing police checks on them) was the law on foreign-funded NGOs.

The CJEU’s decision will have very important consequences: the Hungarian government must now initiate the repealing of the NGO law. With this, the government is given another chance to realize and recognize the everyday hard work of the NGOs that is done in order to make the world and Hungary a more liveable place. Supporting NGOs equals helping those in need, nurturing our communities, protecting the environment and our rights. These causes are important to all of us.

The community of civil society organisations united in the Civilizáció campaign has been born from the common efforts made in order for the law on NGOs to be abolished and has become a strong group of NGOs supporting each other.