A new chance to improve NGO legislation in Romania

04-02-2005
The conference served as an important forum for cross-sectoral discussion, attended by the Minister of Culture, government officials, parliamentarians, and representatives of the EU, USAID and other international agencies as well as NGOs.

On February 4, 2005, a conference entitled "Legal framework regarding NGOs: current challenges and future" was held in Bucharest, Romania. The event was organized by The Civil Society Development Foundation (CSDF) Romania in cooperation with the Agency for Information and Development of Non-governmental Organizations (AID-ONG), with support from the US Embassy in Romania.

The aim of the conference was to review improvements needed in the current legal framework affecting NGOs and to agree on the way forward in a participatory reform process. The event was timely, as the newly elected government in Romania had shown real commitment to make important steps in this area. The most important step might be to adopt a law on nongovernmental organizations. Currently, Government Orders GO 26/2000 and GO 37/2003, which govern the establishment, registration and functioning of NGOs, are not yet adopted through law by the Parliament.