In a letter sent to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on Wednesday 3 May, 48 MEPs appeal to her to “reconsider or re-evaluate” the future proposal for a ‘foreign interference’ directive in the ‘Defence of Democracy’ package.
Like 230 associations before them (see EUROPE 13174/27), they are concerned about its impact on an “already shrunk civic space in the EU”. They are also critical of the fact that an impact assessment of the future directive does not seem to be on the agenda.
The future directive would require NGOs to report and register their funding from outside the EU. However, the signatories are concerned that this would impose “disproportionate burdens for civil society organisations”. Furthermore, they fear that too much leeway will be left to Member States, which could consequently impose “fatally restrictive requirements and obligations” on civil society organisations (CSOs).
They argue that such measures must be justified by an analysis of the risk posed by certain organisations and “aimed at clarifying whether such measures are necessary to avert a real, and not only a hypothetical danger”. They also remind the Commission that the European Court of Justice has already ruled against a Hungarian law obliging NGOs to publish the names of their foreign donors (see EUROPE 12509/21), as it “significantly” hindered their operations.
Finally, MEPs point out that the legislation could “fuel illiberal narratives against CSOs and NGOs throughout the EU”.
The letter was drafted by Sergey Lagodinsky (Greens/EFA, German), and endorsed by a majority of Greens/EFA MEPs as well as some members of The Left, Renew Europe and S&D and some non-attached MEPs.
Read the letter: https://aeur.eu/f/6qe (Original version in French by Hélène Seynaeve)