Under the “foreign interference” laws, authorities impose harmful labels and heavy sanctions for civil society. Most recently such laws significantly limit civil society’s ability to influence policies or hold governments to account. ECNL worked with partners to develop counter-arguments, mobilise support, connect groups to share learnings and enhance knowledge on legal avenues to protect their spaces for action and civic freedoms.
For example, Slovak organisations face growing restrictions, such as stigmatised foreign funding, limited access to information and restricted freedom of assembly. ECNL convened a meeting with key groups on how they can use EU law to push back against such restrictions. ECNL delivered similar training sessions for organisations from Bulgaria, Croatia, Portugal, Romania and Slovenia, and launched a new online learning module on EU law to challenge national laws. We also worked alongside partners to alert the international community to step up: for example, the Council of Europe Expert Council on NGO Law referenced ECNL’s material in several publications, including its opinion on the proposed 'foreign agent law' and a study on the stigmatisation of NGOs in Europe.
In addition, the European Commission’s Defence of Democracy package, aimed at countering foreign interference and strengthening democratic resilience, has sparked significant debate over its potential impact on civil society. While the package includes positive measures to enhance civic engagement and electoral security, its proposed directive on interest representation on behalf of third countries has drawn widespread criticism from over 230 civil society groups across Europe. It could label foreign (non EU) government-funded groups as suspicious and deter donations, especially to those working on sensitive issues. ECNL joined European and national partners to push back, offering legal expertise, sharing lessons from Eastern Europe, and working with UN rapporteurs to strengthen arguments. These risks remain real following the vote of the European Parliament (EP) IMCO Committee in October 2025. The EP Plenary vote is expected in November 2025 and trilogue negotiations between Commission, EP and Council will follow early 2026.
Thanks to these actions:
- Organisations were enabled to effectively stand up to restrictive foreign interference laws.
- International awareness and debate were increased around stigmatised organisations.