CENTRAL EUROPE: State registration & recognition of religious associations scrutizined by experts
PRESS RELEASE: HRWF Third Conference of the Central Europe Forum for Freedom of Religion or Belief (CEFoRB) explores registration barriers in the region
- Religious registration under scrutiny at third Central Europe Forum meeting
- From recognition to restriction: Central Europe Forum debates religious registration
- Forum warns that religious registration systems can become tools of control
- CEFoRB meeting in Brussels spotlights discriminatory registration procedures
HRWF (18.04.2026) — On 16 April, Human Rights Without Frontiers held online the third conference of its Central Europe Forum for Freedom of Religion or Belief (CEFoRB).
The discussion focused in particular on Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, where registration and recognition procedures of religious or belief communities can still create serious obstacles to the full enjoyment of the rights of their members.
The event brought together more than 60 participants from several continents to examine the legal and administrative barriers faced by said communities in Central Europe.
A dozen experts, mainly from EU countries, underlined that registration systems must not become instruments of discrimination or control. The forum also noted that the next meeting will take place on 2 June 2026 in Bratislava as a hybrid in-person and online event, with hate speech and Slovak registration reform high on the agenda.
Registration systems under scrutiny
The forum examined how different national frameworks shape the practical exercise of religious freedom. In Austria, communities seeking full recognition must navigate a three-tier model with membership quotas and longevity requirements, while in the Czech Republic, the two-tier system can involve lengthy delays before state recognition and additional scrutiny before special rights are granted.
Slovakia was described as having the most restrictive threshold in Europe, requiring 50,000 adult citizens or permanent residents for registration, while Hungary’s system was discussed in light of earlier criticism by the European Court of Human Rights. Participants stressed that in all four countries, administrative barriers can make it harder for communities to obtain legal personality, protect their property, and carry out ordinary religious activities.
International standards and violations
The meeting placed these systems against OSCE/ODIHR standards, which hold that legal personality for religious communities should be granted on request and that registration must not be compulsory or more difficult than for other associations. Speakers also referred to European Court of Human Rights jurisprudence, which has condemned discriminatory registration practices, excessive delays and state interference in internal religious affairs.
Recent cases from Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Switzerland and Ukraine were cited as examples showing that restrictions on religion or belief remain a concern across Europe. Participants also discussed the March 2026 dissolution of the Family Federation in Japan without any criminal conviction, which they described as a troubling sign of how media campaigns and political pressure can escalate into severe restrictions on faith communities.
Experts from the forum
The meeting featured interventions from:
Willy Fautré and Hans Noot, Director and Associate Director of Human Rights Without Frontiers, alongside Dr. Brandon Taylorian, a UK-based scholar in law, religion and human rights.
Other contributors included:
Peter Zoehrer, the director of FOREF (Austria),
Delia Nita, an expert of the OSCE/ODIHR (Poland),
Attila Miklovicz (Hungary),
Prof. Marek Šmid (Slovakia),
Anja Tang-Hoffmann, the Executive Director of the Observatory of Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe/ OIDAC (Austria),
Kristyna Tomanova, a psychologist (Czech Republic),
Eva Miskelova, Executive Secretary of CEFoRB (Czech Republic),
Sam Nagasaka, an expert in the case of the deregistration of the Unification Church (Japan), and
Angela Redding, Executive Secretary of Radiant Foundation (USA).
The conclusions were drawn by David Burrowes, Former Prime Minister’s Deputy Special Envoy for FoRB in UK, and former MP (United Kingdom).
Their contributions reflected a broad range of expertise, from constitutional and international law to communications, psychology, media engagement and advocacy. Several speakers stressed that religious and belief communities should be able to function as rights-holders, not as applicants dependent on discretionary state approval.
Looking ahead to Bratislava
The forum concluded that registration systems should be clear, fast, inexpensive and non-discriminatory, and that states should act as impartial guarantors of freedom of religion or belief. Participants also called for stronger anti-discrimination safeguards, effective appeal mechanisms and a renewed effort to update OSCE guidance in light of recent developments.
The next Central Europe Forum for Freedom of Religion or Belief meeting will take place in Bratislava on 2 June 2026, with a focus on hate speech and advocacy for Slovak registration reform.
The previous ones were held in-person in Prague (November 2025) and from Washington DC (February 2026).
(*) Watch the following HRWF newsletters this month for the publication of papers from this conference
