The recent adoption of the legislation on «Non-Commercial Organizations», more commonly known as the «Foreign Representatives» legislation, in the Kyrgyz Republic, is a worrying development. Statement of the EU Delegation to the Kyrgyz Republic says.

As noted, legislation that restricts civil society organizations’ ability to operate freely could have a negative impact on the Kyrgyz society and their cooperation with international partners, like the European Union.

«The European Union remains committed to bilateral cooperation with the Kyrgyz Republic based on respect for fundamental freedoms, the rule of law and democratic standards. These values constitute an integral part of our Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP+) and our upcoming Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA),» the statement says.

The Parliament of Kyrgyzstan adopted in the third reading the bill on «foreign representatives» (analogous to foreign agent law in Russian legislation), officially known as the draft law «On Amendments to the Law «On Non-Profit Organizations».

The President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov signed the law on April 2.