Mushrooming Anti-NGO Legislation in EU Member States and Its Implications: The Cases of Hungary and Slovakia

Europe has witnessed over the past year concerted attacks on independent civil society at the EU and member-state levels by the populist radical right and segments of the center right. A particularly worrying aspect of this campaign is the mushrooming of “Russian-style” anti-NGO legislation in EU member states.

On April 16, following more than a year of consideration, Slovakia’s parliament adopted the country’s first “foreign agent” law, which targets civil society organizations receiving grants from abroad. On May 13, a member from the ruling Fidesz party introduced in Hungary’s parliament a draft bill that may soon become the fifth piece of anti-NGO legislation in the country since 2017. The Slovak law is a pivotal step in following the Kremlin’s playbook by using illiberal legislation to suppress dissent to create a chilling effect on civic activism. The draft Hungarian legislation represents a Rubicon. If enacted, it will forbid civil society organizations (CSOs) critical of the government, advocates for women’s and LGBTQ+ rights, and independent media outlets to receive any form of support from abroad, including EU funding under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values program.

This discussion will explore how these illiberal laws impact the operational environment for civil society in Hungary and Slovakia, and what challenges such legislation poses to democracy in both countries, to the EU legal order, and  to the authority of the European Commission. The conversation will also contribute to identifying potential mitigation strategies at the levels of affected CSOs and of EU policymaking. It will  also highlight potential avenues for international donors to uphold their support for civic watchdogs, which are key guardians of democratic values in Hungary and Slovakia.

Please join us by clicking on the registration button above.

Should you have any questions, please contact Dimitar Keranov at [email protected].

The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) is a nonpartisan policy organization committed to the idea that the United States and Europe are stronger together.