Activities of Cristian TERHEŞ related to 2023/2122(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on transparency and accountability of non-governmental organisations funded from the EU budget
Amendments (18)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 a (new)
Citation 16 a (new)
– having regard to the Discharge from 2021 on the EU General Budget - Commission and Executive Agencies;1a _________________ 1a https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/doc ument/TA-9-2023-0137_EN.html
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
F a. whereas, in some instances, NGO were used as fronts by terrorist organisations or organized crime groups to raise and transfer funds, or to support their agenda; whereas this risk was noted for the first time in 1996 by G7, which called for measures to prevent and combat "such financing through organizations which also have, or claim to have charitable, social or cultural goals, or which are also engaged in unlawful activities";1a _________________ 1a http://www.g8.utoronto.ca/terrorism/terro r25.htm
Amendment 24 #
1. Emphasises the crucial role played by grassroots and community organisations, trade unions, activist groups, human rights defenders and non- governmental organisations (NGOs) in promoting and upholding democracy, equality, the rule of law and fundamental rights and in ensuring accountability for state and private actions and as well in providing space for a diversity of opinions and positions to be expressed and heard;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)
Recital F b (new)
F b. whereas the EU lacks a formal definition of NGOs, which are referred to in various ways; whereas this hinders the efforts to efficiently regulate NGOs' transparency and fiscal accountability;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F c (new)
Recital F c (new)
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F d (new)
Recital F d (new)
F d. whereas the Discharge on the General Budget of the EU and the European Commission for 2021 underlines the deep concern regarding the funding of projects carried out by or involving NGOs with links to radical religious and political organisations and calls on the Commission to guarantee that Union funds only finance organisations that strictly respect all Union values and urges the Commission to set up ex ante mechanisms clearly identifying NGOs operating on Union territory and abroad that have acknowledged ties to religious fundamentalist networks and push forward an agenda that is undermining Union values; 5c _________________ 5c https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/doc ument/TA-9-2023-0137_EN.html
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F e (new)
Recital F e (new)
F e. whereas the same high standrads for accountability and the same transparency rules should apply to all NGOs that receive EU funding regardless of whether the place where they operate is within or outside the European Union;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that civil society is a broader category than that of NGOs; notes that while NGOs are, on the one hand, a favoured institutional form of the neoliberal state and therefore rarely truly oppositional, on the other hand manysome NGOs could be used and misused for ilegitimate intrests by state and non-state actors, many of them resist instrumentalisation and expose the excesses of state and private interests; stresses, therefore, that they must be protected, including through the provision of adequate funding, including foreign funding, as long as the transparency of funding principle is upheld; notes that it is short-sighted to treat NGOs as a singular bloc with a singular policy outlook;
Amendment 57 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Remains deeply concerned by threats to and unjustified attacks on NGOs in Member States;
Amendment 72 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on the Member States and the EU to improve the legal environment for civil society by ensuring that any measure restricting the right of associations to seek, secure and use resources, including foreign resources, as long as the transparency of funding principle is respected, must pursue one of the legitimate aims under Article 11(2) of the European Convention on Human Rights;
Amendment 78 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Emphasizes that Member States should have effective legal measures to control associations if their activities violate EU values or the national law;
Amendment 105 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Believes that current EU instruments are likely sufficient for achieving proportionate transparency goals concerning NGO funding;
Amendment 120 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Warns emphatically against the weaponisation of the concept of ‘foreign interference’ and emphasises that this can be and is being used by governments to repress civil society and NGOs; emphasises, however, that some NGOs may be used as a tool of influence by foreign entities affecting the internal and external security of, as well as the democratic process in Member States.
Amendment 127 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Stresses that it is imperative that NGOs do their utmost to ensure compliance with the EU data protection regime.
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21 a. Calls for the creation of a public black list of NGOs, that have engaged in activities such as hate speech, incitement to terrorism, religious extremism supporting or glorifying violence, or have misused or misappropriated European Union's funds and are listed in the EDES database, in order to ensure they are blocked from access to Union institutions and Union funding programmes;
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26 a. Calls for the ultimate owners of companies to be listed in central registers in EU countries, accessible to people with a 'legitimate interest', such as investigative journalists, concerned citizens and NGOs;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27 a. Notes that in some situations the home office of the non-profit organisation is in one country and the beneficent operations take place in another; Calls for the non-profit organisations to take appropriate measures to account for funds and services delivered in locations other than in its home jurisdiction;