News
Civil society organizations and local government elections 2019
Ökotárs- Hungarian Environmental Partnership Foundation, Civil College Foundation, With the Power of Humanity Foundation, and the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union just published the summary report of a research they conducted in the framework of their joint project, which aims at analyzing and evaluating civil society engagement and activity around the 2019 municipal elections in order to later...
All this law did was bring us closer together
In its decision today the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) echoes the Hungarian civil society’s opinion of past years: the law on the transparency of foreign funded organisations (commonly known as the law on NGOs) is stigmatising, harmful and goes against EU law. According to the CJEU ruling, the restrictions in the law run contrary to the obligations on Member States in respect...
CSOs must be able to act in response to social emergencies - open letter
We call on the European Commission to pay attention, in all the initiatives it takes, to including the CSOs in order to give them the place they deserve. This concerns in particular:
Important Allies - Why Does the EU Need to Do More for Civil Society?
At times of democratic backsliding and the rise of populism, civil society organisations are important allies of the European institutions, as they play a vital role in the promotion and application of universal and European values.
Seven out of ten Hungarians would support CSOs - finds new study on Hungarian civil society
A new study, commissioned by Civilisation coalition and Political Capital broughts more detailed, and in some way unexpected results. Although there are unclarities as to what civil society comprises of, more than one tenth of the respondents (or someone they directly know) has already received help from a civil society organisation (CSO). Conversely, many people are ready to help CSOs:...
22nd Edition of the Civil Society Organization Sustainability Index (CSOSI) for Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia released
The 2018 edition of the CSO Sustainability Index of Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia was published by the United States International Development Office, USAID. The report is prepared in cooperation with local experts and organizations each year. In compiling the chapter on Hungary the Ökotárs Foundation was the partner of USAID again.
Sustaining Civil Society: Lessons from Five Pooled Funds in Eastern Europe
After 1990, US and European foundations and government agencies invested in a series of Partnerships and Trusts to support civil society in Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltics, the Balkans and the Black Sea regions. Analyzing the long-term impact of these investments is crucial, especially as many politicians across these regions increase their anti-civil...
21th Edition of the Civil Society Organization Sustainability Index (CSOSI) for Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia released
The 2017 edition of the CSO Sustainability Index of Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia was published by the United States International Development Office, USAID. The report is prepared in cooperation with local experts and organizations each year. In compiling the chapter on Hungary the Ökotárs Foundation was the partner of USAID again.
Democratic backsliding and civil society response in Hungary
Since 2010, under the government of the right-conservative Fidesz party, Hungary has experienced a serious backsliding in democracy and the rule of law, raising European and international concern. In its striving to achieve boundless power, the government has systematically dismantled the institutions of checks and balances, through such means as limiting the competences of the Constitutional...
