Jobbik to propose changes to NGO transparency bill

Budapest, April 19 (MTI) – The opposition Jobbik party on Wednesday said that it would propose changes to the government’s bill on the transparency of civil groups, as it believes the proposal is not broad enough in its current form.

The party’s support for the bill will be conditional to the inclusion of its proposed changes, lawmaker István Szávay told a press conference.

He said that his party agreed with the need for increased transparency in the civil sector, but added that the bill should also apply to NGOs backed by domestic donors, arguing that they, too, can influence domestic politics.

Szávay proposed that the bill should also apply to backers holding dual citizenship.

The rule should, however, not apply to national minority organisations, he said. In the cases of charity organisations, the bill should distinguish between NGOs supporting EU citizens or ones backing unidentified non-EU citizens, Szávay added.

The lawmaker said sports and religious organisations should not be exempt from the rule. He said that in the cases of religious organisations, the bill failed to address the potential emergence of religious fundamentalism or its potential foreign backers.

Szávay said the bill should also address cases of NGOs carrying out work for foreign entities.

Photo: MTI

Source: MTI