FRANCE: Gagging amendments against associations proposed in the budget debates for 2026
While the French National Assembly discussed the financial bill for the year 2026, between October and November 2025, it proposed a wave of “gagging amendments” to several laws that affect civil society’s ability to operate freely. The aim of these proposals is to deprive associations of certain tax benefits. Amendments 365, 573, 2365 and 2608, directly target environmental organisations documenting the consequences of industrial agriculture. Numbers 280, 37, 281, 923 and 1174 propose a direct exclusion from the tax reduction scheme for donations made to any organisation supporting migrants and undocumented people. Amendment 282 targets all types of civil society organisation (CSO) and would remove tax exemptions for donations to any organisation convicted of an offence, regardless of the reason. The proposed amendments are considered “gagging” as they would undermine CSOs’ financial health and freedom of expression. None of the proposals has been adopted by the parliament so far.