EU warns Slovakia against passing foreign agents law
Photo: Vice President of the European Commission Věra Jourová (Getty Images)
The European Commission has warned Slovakia that it will take immediate legal action if the country's government passes a law restricting the activities of non-governmental organizations and media, states European Commission Vice President Věra Jourová.
Jourová explained that she was in Bratislava and discussed the government-initiated bill in Slovakia, which resembles initiatives to combat "organizations with foreign support."
"I was very clear. If you follow the Hungarian example on the NGOs law, we will launch an infringement procedure (for violation of EU law) immediately, because already we have the decision of the court on the table," said the European Commission Vice President.
In 2017, Hungary adopted a similar law concerning NGOs funded from abroad but repealed it in 2021 after the European Court ruled it illegal.
What preceded
In April, coalition representatives in the Slovak parliament proposed amendments to the law on non-governmental organizations, requiring NGOs that receive more than 5,000 euros annually in foreign funding to be labeled as "organizations with foreign support."
These amendments raised concerns among the Slovak opposition and the Council of Europe.
Foreign agents law in Georgia
In May, the Georgian parliament overrode President Salome Zourabichvili's veto on the controversial Transparency of Foreign Influence law, effectively enacting it.
This move angered Western partners. Notably, it was previously reported that the European Union is preparing a response after the Georgian parliament finally adopted the foreign agent law.
Recently, it was revealed that the EU has suspended Georgia's accession process to the bloc due to the adoption of the foreign agents law.
