Russia: proposed review of CSO legislation
The Russian Ministry of Justice has proposed a review of CSO legislation
24.06.2026
Article published on the ASI website
The Russian Justice Minister has said that current regulations covering the non-profit sector should be subject to systemic review, and that the requirements for different types of CSOs should vary.
The Russian Justice Minister, Konstantin Chuichenko, has called for a review of legislation that regulates the work of non-profit organisations. He made this statement at a session on “Charity: When Good Demands Rules”, which took place during the latest meeting of the St Petersburg International Legal Forum.
The Minister said that current CSO legislation remains fragmented and in need of clarification. In particular, he considers it necessary to clarify the rules for calculating administrative expenses, including the twenty per cent limit, and to have a clearer definition of the status of charitable and non-profit organisations.
“After all, you have to admit that it is very difficult to say that educational bodies, especially private ones, or, for instance sports clubs, should be part of this sector. One can hardly claim that this is a non-profit sector whose primary purpose is really charity”, said Chuichenko.
He estimates that when all officially recognised CSOs are taken into account, their contribution to the nation’s gross national product exceeds 10%.
The Minister also advocated a differentiated approach to regulating the sector. In his view, the requirements for large and small organisations, as well as for different types of CSOs, should vary. He also identified work transparency as an important principle, but without undue publicity in cases where this isn’t required.
In addition, Chuichenko drew attention to the problem of unfair competition within the non-profit sector. In order to address this issue, the Minister proposed revising existing approaches to monitoring the expenditure of public funds allocated to CSOs.
