Bulgarian CSOs as the Immune System of Democracy

A draft law in two parts proposes an amendment to the Non-profit Legal Entities Act in Bulgaria. One is the part regarding the functioning of the Civil Society Development Council. The other is proposing the creation of a new legal framework on declaring and controlling the funding of NGOs received from a foreign country or a foreign natural or legal person. Nadya Shabani, the Director of the BCSDN member, BCNL, in an interview for Civitaes, stated that the decision violates the free movement of capital and fundamental rights. The draft amendment will further stigmatize the civil society sector, implying that CSOs that receive foreign funding may be protecting foreign interest as opposed to Bulgarian ones. Furthermore, the draft amendment suggests that NGOs should submit declarations to the anti-corruption committee, which changes the state’s focus from being transparent to the citizens, and vice versa, the citizens being transparent to the country. Read more here.

Source: CIVITAES