on
new restrictions on NGO activities in Council of Europe member States,
the Parliamentary Assembly recommends that the Committee of Ministers:
1.1 call again on member States
of the Council of Europe to implement its Recommendation CM/Rec(2007)14
on the legal status of non-governmental organisations in Europe
and continue to take stock of progress made to this end;
1.2 continue its thematic debates on the role and functioning
of NGOs in the Council of Europe and its exchanges with the Conference
of International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs) on a regular
basis;
1.3 strengthen its interaction with civil society representatives
through a more developed framework for dialogue, including the holding
of regular meetings that are open to the public;
1.4 continue to promote European and international standards
that are relevant for the creation and maintenance of a safe and
enabling environment for civil society and to exchange good practices
in this area;
1.5 in this respect, continue to strengthen synergies within
the Council of Europe, between all the stakeholders concerned, in
particular the Secretary General, the Commissioner for Human Rights,
the Conference of INGOs and the Assembly;
1.6 establish a mechanism aimed at receiving, analysing and
reacting to alerts on possible new restrictions on the right to
freedom of association in Council of Europe member States;
1.7 develop and adopt guidelines on foreign funding of NGOs
in the member States (on the basis of a study currently being finalised
by the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission)),
as proposed in the 2016 annual report by the Secretary General of
the Council of Europe on the state of democracy, human rights and
the rule of law.
