From the Balkan Civil Society Development Network (BCSDN):
On 28 January 2009, the Conference of International Non Governmental Organisations (INGOs) of the Council of Europe adopted the Recommendation CONF/PLE(2009)REC1 based on the First report of the Expert Council on NGO Law entitled “Conditions of Establishment of NGOs”.
The Expert Council intended to help create an enabling environment for NGOs throughout Europe by examining national NGO law, as well as the administrative and judicial practices which affect the status and operation of NGOs, and to promote Council of Europe standards and European good practice in this field.
The recent Recommendation requires action on a number of issues related to the conditions of establishment of NGOs, e.g.
- removing restrictions on the establishment of informal groupings;
- simplification of the acquisition of legal personality;
- respect for the requirements of international standards in relation to restrictions on children, convicted persons and non-nationals from being founders of NGOs;
- ensuring timely decision-making in registration procedures, etc.
The Expert Council has already started to prepare a new study on the “Internal Governance of NGOs” with the objective to monitor the situation and make recommendations for improvement.