HUNGARY: a document on the relations between the government and civil society

The paper entitled “Principles of Developing Government Civil Relations? was introduced by Mr Gábor Csizmár, State Secretary of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour, on the 19th of October 2006 on occasion of the annual showcase of Hungarian NGOs – Civiliáda 2006. This paper lays down a sound theoretical background for government-civil relations by acknowledging the independence of the third sector, through its role in developing participatory democracy, to considering civil society actors as acknowledged partners of the government. The paper defines five main areas where it is seen that co-operation should be focused. Under “The development of tools of participation? the paper discusses the involvement of civil society in decision-making e.g. in open legislation procedures, the availability of information for NGOs, and the readiness of the government to discuss issues openly with civil society actors. The government also seeks to review the legal/operating environment tailored to the needs of the 21st century and considers easeing the operation of NGOs and tackling problematic areas in current regulation. It also aims to simplify bureaucratic operational criteria especially for small organisations (ie: NGOs with an annual income inferior to EUR 2000) and plans the introduction of a uniform government e-application system. The government intends to assist the effective operation of NGOs through the reaffirmation of the existing national civil service-providing network, the reintroduction of the annual statistical “census? of NGOs, and by assisting courses dedicated to NGO studies within higher education. User-friendly application procedures are also planned through the introduction of common criteria in government-handled applications and a common application database will be set up to avoid double funding. Finally, the government promotes further the contracting out of government and local government tasks to civil society organisations. The working document is open to comments untill the 30th of November 2006 and a nationwide roadshow is planned in the next month with conferences organised in Hungary’s seven regions.