The EU recently announced a new plan of action to bolster democracy within the union and member states, titled the “Defence of Democracy” package. Its main initiative is a directive that imposes new reporting and registration restrictions on civil society organisations in EU countries who receive funding from third country donors.
NGOs are resisting this because it will inevitably be used by governments trying to limit civic space and destroy public trust. However, often they are using the wrong arguments to push back.
To avoid falling into the transparency trap, we’ve put together a guide for people who wish to convince decision-makers at EU-level to safeguard civic space and abandon these plans that would damage democracy.
The guide explains how those trying to restrict civic space are using the transparency argument, why our current arguments against this aren't effective, and explains what we should be saying instead.
For more detail on the measures being contemplated and Liberties’ advocacy position on this issue, see our policy paper.
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the granting authority - the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) . Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
