In a blog of 23 January the European Center For Not-for-Profit Law (ECNL) explains the threats posed by the EU and the EU-member states for not-for-profit organisations, ‘Civil Society Organizations’ (CSOs). The blog starts with:

Civil society’s right to privacy has been under attack
CSOs’ right to privacy has been facing increasing attacks over the past years. We have witnessed new rules proposed and/or enacted in the name of transparency, protection of national security, countering money laundering and terrorism financing. These rules affect how and what kind of information CSOs have to report and disclose to the public or the authorities, and often put disproportionate burden on the organizations.

They mention the worrying Dutch initiative of publishing personal data of donors of CSOs.

The article shows that both the European and the EU-member states do not have a good understanding of the position and importance of CSOs. For them one rotten apple in the basket means that all apples in the basket may be rotten.

More information:

• In its plan for 2020 Dutch Financial Expertise Centre, FEC, has put all Dutch foundations (stichtingen) in the high risk category, see the internetpage on the plan (html), the 2020-plan (pdf).

Previously I already wrote on the peculiar phenomenon that governments think that CSOs pose a high risk in crime, e.g. in:

• The OECD does not understand Dutch foundations, 22 August 2019.
• FIU-NL | Factsheet kwetsbaarheid Non Profit Organisaties in Nederland in relatie tot Terrorisme Financiering, 20 June 2019.
• Not-for-profit in kwaad daglicht bij Europa | AML, CFT, 27 februari 2018.
• Not-for-profit in het verdachtenbankje van de Europese Commissie, 27 July 2017.