Democracy cannot develop without the civil sector’s contribution, Lieselore Cyprus, the German ambassador, said. Initiatives promoted by civil society often become a guiding line and get incorporated in central politics of a country to the benefit of the whole of society, she said.

It is worth keeping a dialogue with civil organisations because “a strong and thriving civil society will contribute to a healthy democracy operating under checks and balances, and to eliminating system-wide corruption,” the French ambassador said.

Roland Galharague cited his country’s recently adopted anti-corruption law drafted in cooperation with Transparency International.

Gajus Scheltema, the Dutch ambassador, emphasised the importance of open democracy which rests on dialogue and cooperation with civil society in The Netherlands.

That country supports civil society in every country, including Hungary, he said.

Tamás Szűcs, the head of the EC mission in Budapest, said building “a more democratic Europe” is a priority for the European Commission. He expressed hope that a strong civil society can serve as a foundation for “a strong Europe,” making reference to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s earlier phrase.

Péter József Martin, the director of Transparency International Hungary, said that civil organisations here “cannot feel safe” because they often face “political attacks” with their impartiality and professionalism questioned. Hungary is not an open democracy because criticism by civil organisations does not resonate with the government, he said.

Csaba Latorcai, deputy state secretary at the prime minister’s office, said civil organisations do not necessarily need to be a critic, but whenever they express criticism, it is taken into consideration. He insisted that the government has always supported NGOs, just as it did in the past.

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