European Commission joins Britain, U.S. in opposing NGO e-declarations

European Commission member Johannes Hahn called for reviewing an electronic declarations bill approved by Ukraine’s parliament on March 23 that required all employees of anti-corruption NGOs to declare their income, as well as purchasing activity. Their vendors are also required to file declarations, which experts said would discourage them from working with NGOs.

With his March 24 tweet, Hahn joined the American and British governments in criticizing the legislation as a step backwards. “E-declarations are supposed to be aimed at corruption in state administration bodies, not discouraging the work of civil society,” Hahn tweeted after parliament failed in a Friday attempt to repeal the legislation.

Zenon Zawada: The IMF and EU – Ukraine’s biggest lenders at the moment – won’t be happy with such legislation since it relies upon NGOs to make their determinations of the success of anti-corruption efforts. That it was supported by the two largest parliamentary factions, which purport to be for Euro-Atlantic integration, speaks to their lack of commitment to systemic reforms that will reduce corruption and improve economic conditions in the country. We expect big problems if the president decides to sign the legislation.