Renew Europe warns against move to shut civil society out of Slovenian referendum campaigns
Renew Europe is calling on the Slovenian government to withdraw a proposed amendment to its election and referendum campaign law that would exclude organisations from referendum campaigns because of past foreign funding. The group is urging the European Commission to assess the amendment’s compatibility with EU law and take all necessary steps, including infringement proceedings where warranted, to protect civil society’s right to participate in public life.
The amendment would prevent any organisation that received foreign funding in the previous five years from registering as a campaign organiser, a legal requirement for taking part in referendum campaigns. The restriction would cover funding for unrelated projects, including European Commission grants and payments for services. Slovenian law already prohibits foreign funding of election and referendum campaigns.
Renew Europe stands with Slovenian civil society, including the Institute of 8 March, which launched the My Voice, My Choice citizens’ initiative. This initiative helped turn citizens’ demands for safe and accessible abortion into a European movement. Organisations that mobilise people to demand change must remain free to campaign and hold those in power accountable.
“The group behind the My Voice, My Choice initiative brought citizens together across Europe to fight for women’s rights. Now their own government wants to shut them out of referendum campaigns. Receiving funding for unrelated work, including an EU grant, cannot justify taking away an organisation’s right to campaign. Slovenia must drop this amendment. The Commission must speak up and act before these restrictions become law,”
MEP Abir Al-SahlaniRenew Europe Vice-President and Coordinator for the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality.
“Excluding citizens’ organisation from referendum campaigns would weaken our democracy. This is a part of a wider pattern in which Janez Janša attempts to stifle dissent and silence critical voices, often to deflect from his own network’s questionable alliances abroad. Weaponizing this law represents unacceptable escalation of intimidation against a civil society he cannot defeat fairly and democratically.”
MEP Irena Joveva
Read the joint letter initiated by Renew Europe here.
