Germany has opposed a foreign influence bill being drafted in the European Union, Financial Times reports.
Senior EU diplomats said on condition of anonymity that Germany was supported by a group of countries, including Hungary and Poland.
According to the initiative, the EU will create a centralised register of media, non-governmental organisations and lobby groups that receive funding from outside the bloc. The document obliges organisations to disclose data on their connection with a foreign state, the type of activity and the annual amount of payments.
Fines are stipulated for non-compliance. Berlin and other capitals backed international NGOs, which condemned the proposed initiative, saying it was similar to measures introduced in Russia and Georgia.
EU wants to change the law on influence
Last week, during a meeting of EU ambassadors, Germany, Poland and Hungary called for the legislation to be changed. However, some other member states have been reluctant to push the proposal at this stage, diplomats told the FT.
A senior EU diplomat said the proposal “puts the bloc in a dilemma.” He also added:
“A scheme that works well in a liberal democracy, where the government encourages and values civil society input, could easily be abused by illiberal democrats or autocrats.”
A second EU diplomat said:
“This exposes the EU to accusations of hypocrisy. We criticise the governments of countries like Georgia for passing a law on foreign influence, while we ourselves are discussing something similar.”
At the same time, the European Commission defends the necessity of introducing the new law. The EC argues that the lack of a centralised register makes it difficult to identify organisations that may be facilitating the exercise of influence from abroad.
EU ministers are due to discuss the new legislation later this month. EU Vice-President for Values and Transparency Věra Jourová said:
“There is zero chance that we will withdraw this law.”
Introduction of law in the EU
The Commission introduced the bill in December 2023 to increase transparency of foreign funding received by NGOs, lobby groups, consultants and others carrying out “representation activities” on behalf of non-EU governments. The proposal comes in the wake of the scandal surrounding the European Parliament in 2022, when lawmakers were accused of taking bribes from Qatar and Morocco through an advocacy group set up by a former MEP turned lobbyist.
On June 3, Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili signed the law on foreign agents. According to the document, non-governmental organisations and media outlets with more than 20 per cent of their annual income from foreign sources must register with the Ministry of Justice and submit a property declaration once a year.
