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Central Europe
June 16, 2017 www.intellinews.com I Page 11
The Czech Republic, which has for the past
few years sought to play the model member state when compared with its regional peers, is reported to have accepted a dozen of the 2,600 refugees it is required to host. Slovakia took in 16 of the 900 or so migrants it is marked down for in the last 12 months and so is reportedly saved from the commission action for now.
Hungary and Poland have refused to take any refugees. Hungary and Slovakia have both lodged cases against the quotas with the European Court of Justice. Bratislava’s case in the ECJ
Hungarian parliament approves controversial NGO bill
bne IntelliNews
Defying international criticism and the threat of sanctions, Hungary’s parliament on June 13 passed a controversial bill on NGOs, which is drawing comparisons with similar moves made in Russia.
The legislation, although amended before sub- mission, stigmatizes foreign-funded civil organi- sations, according to critics, which include the European Commission. The law will force civil so- ciety groups that receive foreign funding to regis- ter as such, and advertise themselves as “foreign- funded” on all public materials and appearances.
Despite the fact that the financing of most NGOs is transparent and available on their websites, the legislation requires them to publicly declare fund- ing sources, local media reported. The law stipu- lates that groups receiving more than HUF7.2mn
concentrates on procedural issues regarding the 2015 vote.
The commission statement also responds to claims in Visegrad that the whole relocation ef- fort is facing problems because other states are equally unwilling to take in refugees. “The pace of relocation has significantly increased in 2017 with almost 10,300 persons relocated since January – a fivefold increase compared to the same period in 2016,” the statement adds. “As of June 9, the total number of relocations stands at 20,869.
(€23,445) from abroad annually will have to regis- ter as a “foreign-supported organisation”.
Dozens of NGOs reacted by declaring they will not comply with the legislation, and intend to launch a legal fight against the measure. Under the bill, those that refuse to comply risk closure.
After heavy criticism from European institutions, the ruling Fidesz watered down the controversial bill, but critics say the government has made only cosmetic changes. The underlying nature of the legislation is to stigmatize civil organizations, they claim.
In a statement released soon after the vote, Amnesty International said the law is an assault on civil society. It is aimed, the NGO said, at silencing critical voices and