Tupancheski says if draft amendments to law on associations are good and constructive, they will be accepted
Skopje, 20 October 2022 (MIA) – Any good solution will be accepted, regardless of whether it comes from the ruling party or the opposition - if the proposal is good and constructive, it will be accepted, said Justice Minister Nikola Tupancheski, commenting on the draft-bill amending the Law on Associations and Foundations submitted to the Parliament by the VMRO-DPMNE parliamentary group, which is to prevent the use of controversial historical figures in the names of associations and other legal entities.
“The Commission or the ad hoc body, which has been set up, has already held several meetings. It took seriously its obligation to give opinion on whether historical figures who have a controversial past can be part of the names of associations, i.e. of foundations. Hence, it is an advisory body – I'd like to reiterate, but one more thing needs to be stressed here, i.e. currently in the Parliament there are amendments to the Law on Associations and Foundations, which are actually moving in the same direction to resolve as soon as possible the situations that do not allow for waiting on the adoption of a new law,” Tupancheski told reporters at Thursday’s event on reforms related to children’s justice.
He stressed that until the adoption of the new law, the purpose of the amendments to the Law on Associations and Foundations, for the adoption of which there is practically a consensus from both the opposition and the ruling party, is to be able to react immediately and cushion, i.e. neutralize the situations which developed in this sphere.
In response to a reporter’s question on whether he will demand that the current Bulgarian associations be renamed, given that the citizens and the Anti-Discrimination Commission also reacted already in relation to these associations’ goals, Tupancheski said that from a legal point of view provisions should not be applied retroactively, however, if it is established that there is a certain irregularity or activity that is not in accordance with the law, there are also other institutions that have the possibility to act.
“The Ministry of Justice will act in accordance with everything that is within its scope. However, unfortunately, the current law does not provide for much possibility for reaction by the Ministry of Justice. After the new amendments are adopted, it depends on what the amendments will be, since there are certain amendments, they will need to be defined more precisely to fill what is called a legal gap. In this sense, the bodies and their competencies and the point at which they should act will be known for sure,” Tupancheski pointed out.
