EU document protecting NGOs adopted with constructive participation of Hungarian government

Unjustified restrictions on the operating space of NGOs and human rights defenders could pose a threat to the rule of law, according to an EU document adopted with the agreement of the Hungarian government. A source told Népszava's Brussels correspondent that

Hungary – along with the other countries – took part in the discussions on the wording in a very constructive way.

The text was adopted at the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 10 March, where Justice Minister Judit Varga represented the Hungarian government.

The conclusions, which are not legally binding but were adopted unanimously, call on member states to address NGOs' funding challenges through transparent and non-discriminatory requirements. They are also asked to facilitate the engagement of NGOs, ensuring their meaningful participation in the development and implementation of legislation and policy measures, and to

actively protect them from, among others, "threats, attacks, persecution", which may come, for example, through smear campaigns.

Among the things the body would like to see to this end, is a mechanism to monitor, identify and follow up such threats and to provide a dedicated support service for NGOs.

The organisations concerned must also be guaranteed the opportunity of secure and independent action in the digital space, which, in Népszava's interpretation, also refers to the untenability of illegal surveillance in the text approved by Judit Varga.

In an interview with the paper

Márta Pardavi, co-chair of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, said that there is a striking difference between the Hungarian government's commitments in the Council and its actions in practice.

In her view, while the conclusions of the document suggest that the Hungarian government recognises the indispensable role of human rights defenders and civil society in democracy, and it commits to protecting them and cooperating with them, in reality it is acting in a way that is contrary to this.

"The Hungarian government doesn't want to listen to the voices independent from itself, and has even explicitly rejected criticism from teachers' or doctors' organisations and has retaliated against them, while financing stigmatising campaigns in its propaganda media."

Among others, the NGO'S co-president recalls, that

• while the conclusions also emphasise the importance of the freedom and right of peaceful assembly, in February 2022 a government decree "made it impossible" for teachers to strike. (See this article about more details on this subject.)
• The Civil Society Act adopted in May 2021 imposed additional burdens on organisations "capable of influencing public life", i.e. those with an annual budget of more than HUF 20 million, even though the EU text says they should not be burdened unnecessarily.
  
• "The government-friendly Hungarian press is constantly conducting a smear campaign against independent NGOs, portraying them as "agents serving foreign interests", even though the text calls on member states to protect NGOs from defamation.