Slovakia - April 2025

On 16 April, Slovakia’s Parliament adopted a law through a fast-track procedure that defines non-governmental organisations as lobbyists. It requires those with an annual income exceeding EUR 35,000 to disclose their funding sources and identify major donors who contributed more than EUR 5,000 within a year. Non-compliance will be punished with fines and potential dissolution. Prime Minister Robert Fico stated that the law will increase transparency, while rights organisations argue the law restricts civil society and silences criticism. In a letter addressed to the Slovak Parliament, the Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner said that the law sends ‘a worrying signal about the health of the rule of law and democracy’ in Slovakia. As part of ongoing protests that began in December 2024, thousands of people protested against the law, criticizing it for resembling Russia’s foreign agent legislation. The law was signed by President Peter Pellegrini on 7 May. 

Update: On 17 December, the Constitutional Court ruled that the law was unconstitutional, and that requiring NGOs to reveal donor identities and donation amounts breaches privacy rights and is unnecessary for ensuring transparency or tackling crime.

Sources : Deutsche Welle, Article 19, Euronews, Pravda, SME, Politico, Council of Europe, International IDEA, The Slovak Spectator, ConstitutionNet, Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic, Legalis