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2002
HUNGARY: DILEMMAS OF A PIONEER
Hungary is probably both blessed and cursed by being at the forefront of NGO legislation in the region. On the one hand, this country regularly comes up with innovative pieces of legislation. On the other hand, it constantly faces the consequences of a changing NGO environment as well as less effective implementation practices.
POLAND: VICTORY FOR FOUNDATIONS IN LANDMARK TAX CASE
On March 13, 2002 the Supreme Court of Poland overturned a ruling of the Supreme Administrative Court (NSA) and ordered the tax authorities to return 22 million euros to the Foundation for Polish Science (FNP), an EFC member. The Foundation will also receive several million euros in interest, the exact amount of which is still to be determined.
SLOVAK NGOS LAUNCH JOINT INVESTMENT PROJECT
The project has been managed by a consortium of three Slovak foundations (Jan Hus Educational Foundation, Open Society Foundation, and Children of Slovakia Foundation). In May 2002, the consortium launched a tender for financial institution, which would jointly administer assets of NGOs. Eight financial institutions submitted their proposals and in a two-tier selection process, Tatra Asset Management (TAM, member of the Raiffeisen Group) was chosen. Consecutively the investment committee was set up from representatives of the founding foundations and two representatives of TAM and Tatrabanka. The role of the committee is to serve as a communication platform between NGOs and the bank sector.
TRUST PARTNER SELECTED IN POLAND
The Trust for Civil Society in Central & Eastern Europe concluded the selection process of its Polish Partner Organisation, which will implement a multi-year program to fulfil the Trust objectives of improving the legal, fiscal and political environment for NGOs, strengthening the institutional capacity of key NGOs and supporting their long-term financial sustainability.
