Working group on new law on associations to hold meeting in coming days
Skopje, 15 August 2022 (MIA) – A working group within the Ministry of Justice is to schedule a meeting in the coming days over new Law on Associations and Foundations, the Justice Ministry told MIA. The current law was adopted in 2016, and its application in practice has shown certain weaknesses, according to the Ministry.
The Ministry of Justice, it adds, hasn’t received any request to approve a procedure for the registration of Tsar Boris III and Tsar Ferdinand associations.
In April this year, the Vancho Mihajlov Culture Center was opened in Bitola, then the Tsar Boris III Association was registered in Ohrid, and there’s information that a new Bulgarian association is being prepared in Bogdanci, which according to reports should bear the name of Tsar Ferdinand, father of Tsar Boris III.
The Jewish Community and the Fund of the Holocaust of the Jews from Macedonia in a reaction several days ago said the registration of the Tsar Boris III Association in the country glorifies Nazism and fascism, and spreads hate speech.
The Justice Ministry points out that the working group will review the analysis and prepare an initial draft version of the new Law on Associations and Foundations. In doing so, all open questions related to historical figures will be considered.
So far, no position has been taken regarding the introduction of a register, but this issue is also expected to be considered in the coming period.
“The purpose of these amendments to the law is to improve the legal framework in terms of provisions relating to the status of an organization of public interest, registration of civil society organizations, defining the status of non-profit organizations, as well as the way of their financing. The current legal framework, with careful reference to the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights, is sufficient for the competent institutions, if the name of an organization including a certain controversial historical figure is called into question, to monitor and evaluate essentially both the program and the actions of the organization and its members before making any decision to ban registration or ban activities,” the Justice Ministry points out.
Freedom of association is a constitutionally guaranteed right in the national legislation (Article 20 paragraph 1 of the Constitution), and is realized through the establishment of associations, foundations and other entities.
