{"id":6304,"date":"2018-06-19T16:32:47","date_gmt":"2018-06-19T14:32:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.apador.org\/?p=6304"},"modified":"2018-06-21T14:59:15","modified_gmt":"2018-06-21T12:59:15","slug":"guvernul-combate-terorismul-plimband-hartii-cu-sute-de-mii-de-cnp-uri-intre-ong-uri-si-ministere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/apador.org\/en\/guvernul-combate-terorismul-plimband-hartii-cu-sute-de-mii-de-cnp-uri-intre-ong-uri-si-ministere\/","title":{"rendered":"The Romanian government fights terrorism with red tape, forcing NGOs to send thousands of TINs to ministries"},"content":{"rendered":"

\nThe draft law approved by the Romanian Government for the transposition of Directive (EU) 2015\/849 on the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purposes of money laundering or terrorist financing goes far beyond its provisions in order to drown the critical voices of civil society in reports full of TINs (taxpayer identification number) and ID series. For example, the Government adds associations, foundations and federations, on its own initiative, in a seemingly excess of European zeal, as reporting entities bound to communicate the personal data of the beneficiaries. <\/strong>Thus, the personal data of journalists or children participating in any kind of NGO activity should be reported.<\/p>\n

Without any reasonable argument, civil society is placed in the same category of financial risk as providers of gambling services and banking institutions. Without the publication of any risk analysis, as recommended by international standards in the field, NGOs are required to report sets of data that even profitable banks and gambling firms can hardly cope with.
\nTransparency of the internal structure of any NGO – status, address, membership of the Board, etc. – is already provided in Romania through the National NGO Register, which is managed by the Ministry of Justice and is publicly available at http:\/\/www.just.ro\/registrul-national-ong\/.<\/p>\n

On May 31, 2018, the Romanian Government approved the Draft Law on the Prevention and Control of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, as well as on amending and completing some normative acts. In trying to transpose the Fourth EU Money Laundering Directive, the government project has already prompted strong criticism from the NGO sector. This will seriously affect the activity of civil society by introducing the obligation to communicate to the Government the identification data of the beneficial owners of non-governmental organizations under the extreme sanction of dissolution in case of non-compliance.<\/strong><\/p>\n

More specifically, the project will lead to:
\n– the complete closure of organisations working for the most vulnerable groups: abused people, people\u00a0whose human rights are not respected, people affected by extreme poverty, or<\/p>\n

– the drastic reduction of the number of citizens who use the services of non-governmental
\norganizations;<\/p>\n

– in addition, the status of obliged entity, imposed on NGOs by an exaggerated interpretation of the
\nDirective, also has damaging effects on NGOs\u2019 activity. Thus, only one of the effects is that NGOs will no longer be able to sign partnerships without informing each other about the complete lists of their beneficial owners, including persons, with names, surnames and all civil status data from the identity documents (Article 15 (1) and Article 19 (8, 10)).<\/p>\n

The criticisms were exposed and explained to law initiators, the Ministry of Justice and the National Office for the Prevention and Combating of Money Laundering, in a public debate held on May 7 at the request of the Civil Society Development Foundation (FDSC). The explanations, however, had no impact. The conclusions of NGOs participating in the debate, available in an open letter, have remained bleak:<\/p>\n

We conclude with the hope that you will stop these serious changes to the freedom of operation of civil society in Romania: reporting the identification data of the NGO service beneficiaries and the possibility of dissolution as a sanction for the refusal to disclose this data We also believe that the current form of the draft law will not ensure the achievement of the final objective of the Directive, as civil society cannot even report, nor will the authorities be able to process the huge amount of information.<\/p>\n

For example, only the social services and related services sector (socio-educational or sociomedical,\u00a0<\/strong>housing, labour market mediation, etc.) provided by non-governmental organizations in Romania have about 350,000 beneficiaries annually.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The situation is all the more serious because the law clearly contradicts one of the key sources by which the Government bases its draft law : FATF (Financial Action Task Force) recommendations, the intergovernmental organization working to reduce money laundering and terrorism financing. FATF Recommendation 8 directly addresses nonprofit organizations and imposes exactly what the Government of Romania has not done: for non-profit entities, any approach to the problem is done through risk analysis and measures proportionate to the identified risk. As no assessment of the terrorist risk in the NGO sector has been published in Romania, it is incomprehensible that the above-mentioned measures are proportionate to the alleged risk.<\/p>\n

The current form of the draft law is therefore unacceptable for a functioning civil society in a European state. Excessive and harmful provisions on associations, foundations and federations must be blocked in Parliament.<\/p>\n

For more information, please contact:
\nSimona Constantinescu, Civil Society Development Foundation<\/strong> (mobile +40752.444.306, email
\nsimona.constantinescu@fdsc.ro)
\nNicoleta Andreescu, Association for the Defence of Human Rights in Romania<\/strong> \u2013 the Helsinki Committee (APADOR-CH) (mobile +4 0733.078.721, email nandreescu@apador.org)<\/p>\n

\nSignatories<\/strong>
\n1. ACCEPT
\n2. ActiveWatch
\n3. Al\u0103turi de Voi
\n4. Asocia\u0163ia pentru Ap\u0103rarea Drepturilor Omului \u00een Rom\u00e2nia \u2013 Comitetul Helsinki (APADOR-CH)
\n5. Asocia\u021bia Anais
\n6. Asocia\u021bia D\u0103ruie\u0219te Via\u021b\u0103
\n7. Asocia\u021bia Front
\n8. Asocia\u021bia Groundfloor Group
\n9. Asocia\u021bia Mame pentru Mame
\n10. Asocia\u021bia pentru Libertate \u0219i Egalitate de Gen \u2013 A.L.E.G.
\n11. Asociatia Pro Democra\u021bia
\n12. Asocia\u021bia pentru Rela\u021bii Comunitare
\n13. Asocia\u021bia SAMAS
\n14. Asociatia Transcena
\n15. Centras
\n16. Centrul Cultural Clujean
\n17. Centrul de Resurse pentru Comunit\u0103\u021bile de Romi
\n18. Centrul pentru Inovare Public\u0103
\n19. Centrul pentru Jurnalism Independent
\n20. Centrul pentru Politici Durabile Ecopolis
\n21. Centrul pentru Legisla\u021bie Nonprofit
\n22. CeRe Centrul de Resurse pentru participare public\u0103
\n23. Colectiv A
\n24. CPE \u2013 Centrul Parteneriat pentru Egalitate
\n25. CRJ \u2013 Centrul de Resurse Juridice
\n26. CRPE Centrul Rom\u00e2n de Politici Europene
\n27. ECPI Euroregional Center for Public Initiatives
\n28. Expert Forum
\n29. Federa\u021bia Dizabnet \u2013 Re\u021beaua prestatorilor de servicii pentru persoane cu dizabilit\u0103\u021bi
\n30. Federa\u021bia Funda\u021biilor Comunitare din Rom\u00e2nia
\n31. FOND Federa\u021bia Organiza\u021biilor Neguvernamentale pentru Dezvoltare
\n32. FONPC Federa\u021bia Organiza\u021biilor Neguvernamentale pentru Copil
\n33. FONSS Federa\u021bia Organiza\u021biilor Neguvernamentale pentru Servicii Sociale
\n34. Fundatia pentru Dezvoltarea Societ\u0103\u021bii Civile (FDSC)
\n35. Funda\u021bia Agen\u021bia \u00cempreun\u0103
\n36. Funda\u021bia AltArt pentru Art\u0103 Alternativ\u0103
\n37. Funda\u021bia Civitas
\n38. Funda\u021bia Comunitar\u0103 Bucure\u0219ti
\n39. Funda\u021bia Comunitar\u0103 Oradea
\n40. Funda\u021bia Comunitar\u0103 Sibiu
\n41. Funda\u021bia Comunitar\u0103 Ia\u0219i
\n42. Funda\u021bia Comunitar\u0103 \u021aara F\u0103g\u0103ra\u0219ului
\n43. Funda\u021bia Comunitar\u0103 Timi\u0219oara
\n44. Funda\u021bia Crucea Alb\u0103
\n45. Fundatia HEKS\/EPER Romania
\n46. Funda\u021bia Estuar
\n47. Funda\u021bia Gabriela Tudor
\n48. Funda\u021bia Inim\u0103 de Copil
\n49. Funda\u021bia Inova\u021bii Sociale Regina Maria
\n50. Funda\u021bia Little John’s (Cisn\u0103dioara)
\n51. Funda\u021bia Noi Orizonturi
\n52. Funda\u021bia PACT
\n53. Funda\u021bia pentru Parteneriat
\n54. Funda\u021bia Sensiblu
\n55. Funda\u021bia Regen
\n56. Greenpeace Rom\u00e2nia
\n57. Grupul PONT
\n58. Hope and Homes for Children
\n59. HOSPICE Casa Speran\u021bei
\n60. Institutul pentru Politici Publice
\n61. Institutul Prezentului
\n62. Let’s Do It, Romania!
\n63. MagiCAMP
\n64. Mediawise Society
\n65. MetruCub \u2013 resurse pentru cultur\u0103
\n66. Mili\u021bia Spiritual\u0103
\n67. Opportunity Associates Rom\u00e2nia
\n68. Organiza\u0163ia Suedez\u0103 pentru Ajutor Umanitar Individual
\n69. Re\u021beaua Na\u021bional\u0103 a Muzeelor din Rom\u00e2nia
\n70. Roma Education Fund
\n71. Salva\u021bi Copiii Rom\u00e2nia
\n72. Societatea Academic\u0103 din Rom\u00e2nia
\n73. Societatea de binefacere Diakonia F\u0103g\u0103ra\u0219
\n74. Techsoup Romania
\n75. TERRA Mileniul III
\n76. Terre des hommes Elve\u021bia
\n77. United Way Romania
\n78. Valentina Rom\u00e2nia
\n79. Florian Matei-Popescu, cercet\u0103tor la Institutul de Arheologie “Vasile P\u00e2rvan” al Academiei
\nRom\u00e2ne, Bucure\u0219ti
\n80. Prof. Dr. Mihaela Lambru, Facultatea de Sociologie si Asisten\u021b\u0103 Social\u0103, Universitatea din
\nBucure\u0219ti<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The draft law approved by the Romanian Government for the transposition of Directive (EU) 2015\/849 goes far beyond its provisions in order to drown the critical voices of civil society in reports full of TINs (taxpayer identification number) and ID series.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6309,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,81],"tags":[41,474,699,702,403],"class_list":["post-6304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-comunicate","category-slider","tag-apador-ch","tag-combaterea-terorismului","tag-lege-ong","tag-spalarea-banilor","tag-transparenta-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/apador.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/apador.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/apador.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apador.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apador.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6304"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/apador.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6304\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apador.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/apador.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apador.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apador.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}