January 12, 2010
Czech Republic Country Report in "Volunteering Worldwide" 2001
"Relations between NGOs and the state have gradually been taking form since 1989, which saw the start of the proliferation of nongovernmental organizations. Until recently, the State showed relatively little interest in such activities and underestimated the potential of NGOs in tackling social issues. On the other hand, the thousands of spontaneously set up NGOs represented a somewhat dispersed and far from transparent network, despite the good work they achieve. Communication between the state and NGOs has recently shown signs of improvement, in part as a result of changes in legislation with respect to foundations and their funds and organizations in general. The Cabinet Office now includes a Council for nongovernmental nonprofit organizations, in which these various organizations are represented. The council is chaired by a Government Minister. The year 2000 finally sees uniform rules for subsidizing the activities of NGOs and for the first time these organizations have received substantial moneys from the National Investment Fund. The money concerned originated from the privatization of State enterprises in the first half of the 1990s."
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