{"id":147970,"date":"2025-06-08T03:21:45","date_gmt":"2025-06-08T03:21:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/report-on-secret-contracts-are-ngos-operating-on-behalf-of-the-eu-commission-teknomers\/"},"modified":"2025-06-08T03:21:47","modified_gmt":"2025-06-08T03:21:47","slug":"report-on-secret-contracts-are-ngos-operating-on-behalf-of-the-eu-commission-teknomers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/report-on-secret-contracts-are-ngos-operating-on-behalf-of-the-eu-commission-teknomers\/","title":{"rendered":"Report on secret contracts: Are NGOs operating on behalf of the EU Commission? – Teknomers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Are EU Funds Supporting Lobbying Activities of NGOs?<\/h2>\n

\nThe recent report by *Welt am Sonntag* suggests that the EU Commission has been funding non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for lobbying efforts that align with its interests. This claim stems from confidential contracts that have been brought to light, prompting both scrutiny and denial from the EU Commission.<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

\nClaims have emerged that environmental organizations were compensated to mount campaigns and legal actions against companies, including those based in Germany. Furthermore, it is alleged that EU Commission staff coordinated closely with activists to shape public opinion, particularly influencing politicians in favor of the EU’s climate policy.<\/p>\n

\nThis assertion is substantiated by what is described in a report from *Welt am Sonntag*<\/a>, which references an allegedly secret contract from 2022 between the EU Commission and the environmental organization ClientEarth. The document reportedly suggests that the NGO was tasked with filing lawsuits against coal power plants\u2014an action that organizations like ClientEarth had already planned.<\/p>\n

\nAdditionally, it is documented that ClientEarth received \u20ac350,000 for a proposal aimed at expediting the transition away from coal while collaborating with citizen movements and protest groups.<\/p>\n

Funding Other Projects with EU Grants?<\/h2>\n

\nDespite these revelations, much remains unclear and problematic according to Monika Hohlmeier, a CSU Member of the European Parliament. Hohlmeier, who serves on the Budgetary Control Committee for the largest parliamentary group, the European People’s Party (EPP), states that the review of the contracts has shown that some NGOs have misused the EU grants for radical projects that do not comply with EU values.<\/p>\n

\n“This implies that EU funds cannot be used to undermine the rule of law or to subvert fundamental principles of it. For instance, we found support for local protests, some of which have escalated into violence,” asserts Hohlmeier.<\/p>\n

EU Commission Denies Allegations<\/h2>\n

\nIn response to these concerns, the EU Commission has firmly denied the existence of any secret contracts with NGOs. They claim to maintain a high level of transparency concerning financial assistance. Information regarding the beneficiaries of EU funds, including names and amounts, is made publicly available on the Commission’s financial transparency system website.<\/p>\n

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\n The Commission is very transparent regarding the provision of funds for NGOs. Information about the recipients of EU funds, including their names and the amounts, is publicly accessible on the Commission’s financial transparency system website.<\/p>\n
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Press Release from the EU Commission<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\nMoreover, the Commission has instructed its subordinate departments not to approve any work programs proposed by NGOs if they contain specific activities that target institutions or their representatives.<\/p>\n

European Court of Auditors Critiques Lack of Transparency<\/h2>\n

\nThe debate surrounding NGO funding has persisted in Brussels for months. In April, the European Court of Auditors criticized the lack of transparency in fund allocation. However, their audit report does not indicate that the EU Commission solely provides funds to environmental organizations that support its agenda.<\/p>\n

\nAdditionally, the EU Commission announced in May that it would significantly tighten its rules regarding financial support for NGOs. Future agreements will not allow interpretations suggesting that specific political content should be lobbied for among Commission officials or EU Parliament members.<\/p>\n

\nFurthermore, NGOs will need to ensure traceability of funds and disclose their financial backers in an EU transparency register. While this is a step in the right direction, it should apply to all recipients of EU funds.<\/p>\n

\nAccording to Green MEP Daniel Freund, this initiative is commendable, but it must encompass all organizations receiving EU funds. He emphasizes that EU taxpayer money is not intended for lobbying on behalf of the Commission: “The European Commission financially supports a vibrant civil society. Having a robust civil society is crucial in a democracy. Ultimately, it leads to better debate and, consequently, more refined legislation when all interests are considered in the process.”<\/p>\n

NGOs as a Counterbalance to Industrial Lobbying<\/h2>\n

\nRen\u00e9 Repasi, the leader of SPD MEPs, holds a similar viewpoint, asserting that NGOs play an essential role in Brussels: “Currently, industrial lobbying is overwhelmingly dominant, and NGOs serve as the necessary counterbalance. They require public funding to perform their duties effectively. Therefore, it is fundamentally correct for NGOs to receive EU funds. It\u2019s perhaps understandable that right-wing and conservative parties are troubled by NGOs pursuing goals they disagree with. However, claiming that NGOs are structurally problematic is something I cannot accept.”<\/p>\n

\nNot only Nicholas Aiossa, the EU Director of Transparency International, suspects an orchestrated campaign against NGOs from conservative circles amidst the upcoming budget negotiations. Many members of the EU Parliament believe that the EPP faction, which includes the CDU and CSU, aims to leverage its new majority alongside far-right parties to roll back civil society engagement, particularly around climate issues, in the coming years.<\/p>\n

Information derived from the press release by the EU Commission<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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General News – 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Are EU Funds Supporting Lobbying Activities of NGOs? The recent report by *Welt am Sonntag* suggests that the EU Commission has been funding non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for lobbying efforts that align with its interests. This claim stems from confidential contracts that have been brought to light, prompting both scrutiny and denial from the EU Commission. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":147971,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-147970","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147970","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=147970"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147970\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/147971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=147970"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=147970"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=147970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}