During the EP debate on the report "The narrowing scope of European civil society" held in Strasbourg, the Justice Commissioner of the European Commission stated that the protection of civil organizations is particularly important today, when - according to his words - basic values and basic rights are threatened by threats. Of course, we are talking about Anna Donáth's report, who asks the EP to protect civilians from oppressive governments that persecute them on the Russian model.
Civil society organizations must be protected and supported, because they are the ones that draw attention to the threats to the rule of law, the responsibility of the authorities, and the observance of the Charter of Fundamental Rights - said Didier Reynders, Commissioner for Justice of the European Commission in Strasbourg, the European Parliament (EP) plenary session on Monday.
Didier Reynders stated in the EP debate on the report "The narrowing scope of European civil society" that the protection of civil organizations is particularly important today, when - according to his words - fundamental values and fundamental rights are threatened.
He stated: civil society needs an open space free from all kinds of threats. On the other hand, as he said, the situation of civilians has worsened over the past years, their freedom of movement has decreased, and the government actions and laws of some member states hinder their work and affect their independence. In some EU member states, NGOs are not adequately protected from physical or verbal attacks, he pointed out.
The EU commissioner said that the European Commission regularly examines the developments in the member states, the results of which are reported by the board in its annual report on the rule of law. He said: NGOs are closely involved in the process that leads to the preparation of the report. However, the EU commission also cooperates with civil organizations during its visits to member states during the year in order to examine the situation in the periods following the report, the EU commissioner added.
Anna Donáth , Member of the European Parliament (EP) of the Momentum Movement, rapporteur of the text recommended for voting on Tuesday, said when presenting the document: civil organizations want nothing more than to live and work in peace. "They are asking us to protect them from those oppressive governments that persecute them on the Russian model," he said.
He emphasized: the fact that the European Union did not properly stand up for democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights in the last decade led to the creation of "hybrid regimes" and the narrowing of the space for civil society. As a result, governments in several member states obstruct the operation of independent civil organizations and have normalized attacks against them.
An unequivocal and decisive political response must be given to political actions that "victimize civilians", the representative pointed out, then added: "without independent civil organizations, we cannot talk about democracy".
There is no reason to be above the law
Balázs Hidvéghi , the Fidesz EP representative, emphasized in his speech: the free and undisturbed operation of civil organizations is an important European tradition, but there is no reason for these organizations to receive special treatment or privileges. He called it unacceptable that some civil organizations deliberately break the law, ignoring official instructions.
He pointed out that it was recently revealed that a network of civil organizations serving left-wing goals "manipulates European debates in a large-scale manner". However, with its latest report on NGOs, the European Parliament wants to exempt these organizations from complying with the rules, he warned.
"We reject any effort that would eliminate the accountability of civil organizations and the guarantees of their legal and transparent operation," said the representative of Fidesz, adding that the same rules must apply to them as to all other organizations.
In his statement sent to MTI, Balázs Hidvéghi emphasized that the EP report would exclude the Soros organizations from the scope of the laws. NGOs supported by Soros foundations, which are engaged in proven biased political activism, cannot be allowed to be elevated above the law, the representative stated.
MTI
Photo: Anna Donáth, Source: MTI/Szilárd Koszticsák
