Hundreds of European non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the socio-political, environmental, medical and other fields fear a reduction in funding from the European Union, similar to what is happening in the US, due to the strengthening of right-wing positions in the European Parliament (EP), writes the European publication Politico, referring to organizations surveyed by it.
As Politico notes, the conservative European People's Party, the largest faction in the EP, and other right-wing political forces have increased pressure on NGOs, demanding that the European Commission establish stricter control over how they spend their funds. MEPs suspect NGOs of misusing funds, including to finance lobbying activities. Earlier, the European Court of Auditors prepared a report in which it pointed out the lack of transparency in the system of NGO funding costs, and the European Commission acknowledged the existence of cases in which organizations engaged in "illegal lobbying activities".
Many European NGOs receive up to half of their funds from EU grants, the publication points out. Their reduction will seriously affect the activities of these organizations. From 2021 to 2023, non-governmental organizations received about 7.4 billion euros from the EU to finance their projects.
The organizations' concerns are growing as the EP begins discussing a seven-year budget plan that outlines new priorities - increasing defense spending and stimulating industrial development. Under these conditions, NGO funding can be carried out on a residual basis.
At the same time, representatives of the NGOs surveyed accuse MEPs of imitating US President Donald Trump and the activities of his administration, which has effectively eliminated the USAID, which has allocated billions of dollars to NGOs around the world. The right-wing MEPs say they are not against NGOs as such, but they are demanding greater transparency in their budgets and greater control over financial flows.
Source: tass.ru