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More than 230 civil society organisations from across Europe have come together to express concern and opposition to a proposed ‘foreign interference’ directive that would create a register of foreign funded organisations.
The European Commission’s upcoming Defence of Democracy package contains initiatives designed to enhance democratic participation and civic space, but its proposed ‘foreign interference’ directive has raised concerns among civil society across Europe.
The proposed directive would introduce ‘transparency and accountability standards’ for civil society organisations, requiring them to disclose funding from outside the EU and creating a register of organisations that receive such funding.
In a joint statement, the organisations say that it could unintentionally hinder CSOs’ ability to fulfil their role as defenders of democracy in Europe and beyond, and limit the EU’s capacity to support civil society and human rights defenders.
The group warns that the proposed directive is similar to legislation that the EU has itself opposed in the past and “risks inconsistency with international and EU human rights law, and in particular the exercise of civic freedoms.”
The civil society organisations are calling on the Commission to consider three factors ahead of any proposed legislation:
- The requirement for a fundamental rights impact assessment
- Clarity and purpose of such a directive
- The EU’s fundamental rights obligations
They state “the need for exceptionally careful consideration and a formal impact assessment – to determine whether such a legislative instrument is a necessary and proportionate response, to what is currently a very undefined aim.”
The group has been brought together by Civil Society Europe, and includes European and international civil society organisations including Philea, the European Civic Forum, and the European Centre for Not-for-Profit Law, as well as national organisations. The full statement can be read here.
