Minister: NGOs are capable to influence public life and debates

The Hungarian government agrees with the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) that transparency is a legitimate, democratic expectation, especially in the case of “non-governmental organisations which … are capable of exercising a significant influence over public life and public debate,” Justice Minister Judit Varga said on Friday.

Referring to the CJEU’s ruling regarding Hungary’s law on the transparency of non-governmental organisations, Varga said in a bilingual Facebook post that the Hungarian government also agrees with the Court “that the transparency of the

funding of these organisations is in the interest of all of us, i.e. it is a public interest.”

“So far, the debate between Hungary and Brussels has not been about the goal, but about the choice of means. Subject to these considerations, and noting and respecting the decision of the Court, the Government proposes to establish new regulation in line with EU law while also repealing the Law on Transparency, thus resolving the conflict to the satisfaction of all parties.