Facts are important gauges, even if some organisations which enjoy György Soros’s support do not take this view. As regards non-governmental organisations seeking to build communities, however, two factual processes have taken place in recent periods: there has been an increase in grants and a decrease in the unduly excessive administration, Attila Fülöp, Deputy State Secretary for church, nationality and civil society relations said in his lecture delivered at the conference of the Society for Public Administration Studies held in Vonyarcvashegy. Mr Fülöp highlighted that the majority of the more than 60 thousand Hungarian non-governmental organisations receive state grants for their operations.

The administrative burdens of non-governmental organisations will decrease as of March. The registration of civil-society organisations will become simpler, and the reporting of changes will also be easier, he said in his introduction, in reference to the statutory changes entering into force as of 1 March.

The amendment of the law on the registration of civil-society organisations will accelerate the registration of non-governmental organisations and the reporting of any changes in their operations in the future. The Deputy State Secretary pointed out that, to this end, the courts will only investigate the existence of the most necessary statutory conditions during the course of the registration of non-governmental organisations and the registration of changes in their operations. It will further accelerate the relevant proceedings that there will be no scope for appealing against court rulings regarding the registration of associations, foundations and sports federations, granting requests for the registration of changes and ordering entry in the non-profit register. The introduction of registration by the force of law and the exclusion of repeated requests for additional information or documents serve to further streamline the procedures.

The Deputy State Secretary said that the termination of non-governmental organisations, too, will become simpler. The litigious proceedings establishing the cessation of foundations and associations will become non-litigious proceedings. From now on, not only the prosecution service, but the organisations themselves or members of the organisations may also institute these non-litigious proceedings. It will additionally add to the simplification of the review proceedings regarding the operation of civil-society organisations that the judicial review proceedings relating to non-governmental organisations will be transferred to the jurisdiction of the registering court as non-litigious proceedings.

In the context of the grants provided for non-governmental organisations, Mr Fülöp highlighted that there are more than 60 thousand non-governmental organisations in Hungary today, the majority of which receive governmental, state or municipal grants of one kind or another. The amount of these reached HUF 202 billion already in 2015 which represents a 40% increase compared with HUF 144 billion in 2010.

The Deputy State Secretary further said that the Government has helped the operation of civil-society organisations – with the involvement of well-functioning associations and foundations that are familiar with the local specificities – for six years now through the services of the county information centres which will receive an allocation of HUF 315 million in 2017. The Civil Society Information Centres provide a number of mandatory and voluntary services and offer programmes to civil-society organisations and the people living in their vicinity.

(Ministry of Human Capacities, State Secretariat for Church, Nationality and Civil Society Relations)