This addendum builds on the Expert Council’s Opinion (“the Opinion”) on draft amendments to various laws relating to different forms of non-governmental organisations (“NGOs”) and which passed their first reading in Parliament on 30 April 2024. They were adopted by the National Council (Parliament) on 16 April 2025 under a fast-track procedure, with the bare minimum majority of 76 MPs and will come into force on 1 June 2025. The draft amendments had originally sought to regulate “foreign-supported organisations” by introducing comprehensive revisions in the framework regulation governing NGOs. As detailed in the Opinion, those gave rise to a number of issues concerning their overall compatibility with European standards.
Between the first and second readings, the ruling coalition considered various proposals to further revise those amendments, aiming to address major concerns raised by NGOs, the European Commission, and the Council of Europe. These proposals ultimately abandoned the concept of "foreign-supported organisations" and the subsequent initiative to label NGOs that are perceived to influence politicians—either directly or indirectly—as "lobbyists," despite the lack of a general legal framework for lobbying. The latter proposal would have introduced various administrative requirements for non-governmental organisations and granted the Ministry of the Interior the authority to dissolve them for administrative errors.
The final amendments adopted on 16 April 2025 introduce new reporting and disclosure requirements—a “transparency statement”—for NGOs concerning their sources of financing (foreign and domestic alike) as well as penalties for non-compliance. Although these differ in scope and substance from the draft approved by Parliament in the first reading, the issues of non-compliance with European standards persist both in terms of the process and substance.
Further information and reports of the Expert Council.
