The Cabinet today approved a bill governing social associations, and will submit the draft to the Legislature for review. Premier Lin Chuan asked the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) to actively communicate with all legislative caucuses to ensure early passage of the bill.
The MOI said that the organization and operation of social associations are currently regulated by the Civil Associations Act. Though this act has been revised many times through the years, it still puts many regulatory controls on social associations, which, according to Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 479, infringes on people's freedom of association as guaranteed by the Constitution. Thriving social associations are important assets for Taiwanese society, so the government should enact measures to support their development. And since social associations are essentially different from occupational or political associations, it was necessary to draft a separate law to govern the organization and operation of social associations.
The proposed bill would allow social associations to be established through a registration process rather than the current application and approval system. It would also ease regulations, adopting a low level of regulatory control and respecting the associations' right to freely determine their own affairs. By encouraging the development of social associations while strengthening public supervision, the government hopes to create a more robust environment to ensure freedom of association.