BCSDN joines CSOs across Europe in Support of the Hungarian Civil Society
BCSDN Stands with European Civil Society Against the Designation of Tibor Navracsics as European Commissioner for Education, Youth, Culture and Citizenship
September 24, 2014SBPPF Policy Papers Joint Publication 2014
September 30, 2014A total of 975 CSOs from across Europe, including BCSDN, have signed the appeal in support of civil society in Hungary, urging the institutions of the European Union and the Council of Europe to take action against the increasing pressure on civil society organizations by the Hungarian government.
In the past period, not only did Viktor Orban’s government increase its control over the media and the judiciary, it also increased thew control over civil society. The situation was exacerbated when, on September 8th, unannounced policemen raided the premises of two Hungarian organizations – Ökotárs and DemNet. Then on September 19th, the tax number of the Carpathian Foundation, another non-profit organization, was suspended by the Hungarian Tax and Financial Control Administration. All three organizations are members of the consortium responsible for the distribution of funds under the Norwegian Financial Mechanism – EEA Grants Programme for NGOs. Assets in the context of the Programme, inter alia, were intended to co-finance the activities of the Hungarian non-governmental organizations that enhance the contribution to social justice, democracy and human rights, and to be distributed outside the direct control of the Hungarian government. This in fact, as petitioners point out in the call, is the reason for the sanctions against these organizations.
Therefore, the European civil society joined together and sent a letter to the representatives of the EU institutions and the Council of Europe, in which they highlighted the unacceptable behavior of one of the Member States and expressed solidarity with Hungarian NGOs.
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