The Government Office of the Slovak Republic welcomes the EDA report on the funding of non-governmental organizations

Bratislava – The Government Office of the Slovak Republic (ÚV) agrees with the conclusions of the European Court of Auditors (EDA), which confirm the correctness and necessity of legislative changes in the conditions of Slovakia. The EDA confirmed in its new report that the funding of NGOs by the European Union is not sufficiently transparent. TASR was informed about this by the press and information department of the ÚV SR.

“The European Court of Auditors published a report on the funding of non-governmental organizations by the EU, stating that it is not sufficiently transparent. It is striking that this information did not appear in the Slovak media environment at a time when a new legal regulation aimed at increasing the transparency of the third sector is being discussed in the National Council of the Slovak Republic,” stated the government office, which fully agrees with the conclusions of the EDA report.

According to the ÚV SR, increasing the transparency of non-governmental organizations and regulating lobbying, which serves selected NGOs to promote foreign interests, “is the European way” and the report of the European Court of Auditors fully confirms this.

European auditors stated in the report that the funding of EU non-governmental organizations is still not sufficiently transparent despite progress. According to the EDA, the European Commission has not adequately published some activities of interest representation funded by the EU, such as lobbying. In their opinion, there are also no sufficient active controls to ensure that funded NGOs adhere to EU values.

The amendment to the law on non-profit organizations from the coalition party SNS is currently in parliament. MPs are expected to discuss it next week. It is set to bring several changes, with various amendments being proposed. For non-profit organizations, foundations, or associations with an annual income exceeding 35,000 euros, there will be an obligation to prepare a transparency report. The report should also include information about individuals who contributed more than 5,000 euros to the organization’s activities in a year. It should also disclose the identification details of the bodies or members of the organization’s body.

The proposal is also set to introduce regulation of lobbying. Trade unions, employer organizations, and sports organizations should be exempt from the definition of lobbying. (April 10)