Platform for Democracy Welcomes Constitutional Court's Decision on NGO Act

Bratislava, 18 December (TASR) - The Platform for Democracy, which brings together more than 80 non-governmental non-profit organisations, has welcomed the Constitutional Court's decision concerning the NGO Act, TASR has been told by Katarina Batkova, director of the Via Iuris civil association and member of the Platform for Democracy executive committee. If the law is not amended in accordance with the decision within six months, it will cease to be effective. Batkova pointed out that representatives of the governing coalition had been warned that the law was inconsistent with the Constitution and domestic and European legislation. "However, they decided to bypass the legislative process, didn't allow for proper participation in terms of discussing the proposed legislation and made changes chaotically at the last minute," she stated, adding that this resulted in a poor imitation of a law that was aimed at spying, increasing administrative burdens and interfering in the functioning of an independent civil society. Batkova explained that the Constitutional Court's verdict means that when it is published in the collection of laws, the act will become ineffective, and civil society organisations won't have to fulfil the obligations arising from it. "If MPs don't amend the law within six months to bring it into line with the Constitutional Court's ruling, it will definitively lose its effect," she added. The law amending legislation on NGOs providing generally beneficial services is internally contradictory and therefore inappropriate, the Constitutional Court has stated in connection with Wednesday's (17 December) decision that the amendment contradicts constitutional articles concerning fundamental human rights and freedoms, as well as political rights. It found that the disclosure of information about contributors and the amounts of their contributions disproportionately interferes with their right to privacy. am/df