A broad coalition spanning Romania's political spectrum voted Tuesday to advance legislation that would impose sweeping new restrictions on civil society organizations, directly mimicking the controversial Hungarian model that has drawn European Union sanctions against Budapest.
The Senate's Legal Committee approved the bill with support from the Social Democrats (PSD), ultranationalist AUR, and center-right PNL—a cross-ideological alliance that signals deepening illiberal tendencies even within Romania's pro-European mainstream parties. Only the reformist USR and the Hungarian minority UDMR opposed the measure, which now advances to a full Senate vote scheduled for May 18.
The legislation, initiated by 56 AUR deputies and senators, would require all associations and foundations to publicly disclose donors contributing more than 5,000 lei (approximately €1,000). Organizations must file annual reports with the tax authority ANAF, which would publish them online. Failure to comply results in automatic suspension, and prolonged non-compliance leads to forced dissolution.
Both Romania's Legislative Council and Economic and Social Council issued warnings that the proposal mirrors Viktor Orbán's approach in Hungary—a precedent that triggered sanctions from both the European Commission and the Court of Justice of the EU for restricting civic space. The Economic and Social Council cautioned that the bill establishes "a surveillance and administrative control mechanism over civil society" and would inevitably "discourage financing of civil society," particularly organizations with politically sensitive missions.
For Romania, a country that joined the EU in 2007 and has worked to position itself as a reformist bulwark in Eastern Europe, the development represents significant democratic backsliding. The cross-party consensus behind the measure is particularly striking: PSD senator Ion Rujan, chair of the Legal Committee, confirmed his party's support, while PNL—traditionally pro-European—provided crucial backing despite two of its three committee members being absent from Tuesday's session.
"In Romania, as across Eastern Europe, the transition is not over—it's ongoing," noted observers familiar with the country's post-communist trajectory. The bill comes as Romania seeks full and greater integration with Western European institutions—making the embrace of Hungarian-style NGO restrictions all the more jarring.
