The Hungarian government is committed to ensuring the transparency of non-governmental organisations, Justice Minister Judit Varga said after a judgment was delivered by the Court of Justice of the European Union earlier today. This is the objective of the Hungarian legislation about the transparency of organisations funded from abroad, and the Court’s decision adopted today has confirmed the legitimacy of that objective, Ms. Varga stressed.

The government’s position remains that the obligations of registration and publication required under the Hungarian legislation have not made the funding or operation of organisations any more cumbersome, the Minister said, adding that the Court’s decision does not cite a single specific item of data or evidence that would prove the contrary.
The Minister said “it is a legitimate expectation on the part of society that non-governmental organisations operate transparently also as regards their funding. The government will provide the means necessary for this also with due regard to the Court’s judgment.”

The European Union itself keeps transparency records of organisations intending to influence decision-makers, and in 2016 the Commission instituting the infringement procedure that led to today’s decision submitted a proposal relating to the introduction of a mandatory transparency register, Justice Minister Judit Varga pointed out.

In its judgment of 18 June 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union handed down a decision about whether the Hungarian legislation about the transparency of organisations funded from abroad complies with EU law. The Court stressed that the objective consisting in increasing transparency in respect of the financing of organisations can be considered to be an overriding reason in the public interest. Some civil society organisations may, having regard to the aims which they pursue and the means at their disposal, have a significant influence on public life and public debate, based on which it may be justified for measures aimed at ensuring transparency to apply to their funding, in particular when that funding originates from third countries outside the EU.

(Ministry of Justice/MTI)