Upcoming European Parliament reports question EU funding for NGOs that engage in advocacy
The EU institutions, most notably the European Parliament, but also the European Commission and the European Court of Auditors, are discussing the different contexts surrounding EU funding for civil society organisations. There is concern that some EU actors question the legitimacy of NGOs that receive EU funding to engage in advocacy work and that some of the wording of recently issued statements and reports stigmatise the NGO sector.
At European Parliament level, the largest political group EPP is coordinating two reports that question the legitimacy of EU funding for NGOs who engage in advocacy vis-à-vis the European institutions. This takes place in the context of the discharge procedure led by the Committee responsible for Budgetary Control (CONT), where MEP Hohlmeier and MEP Herbst, both members of the EPP, are coordinating reports on the discharge of the EU budget. The reports refer to civil society organisations as actors who are negatively impacting the reputation of the EU institutions. It goes as far as to note that civil society organisations are pushing the European Commission’s priorities on the behalf of the European Commission through their advocacy efforts. During the EP plenary debate on 22 January, this narrative was successfully portrayed as a populist issue, however it remains to be seen whether important amendments will be incorporated.
Furthermore, the European Commission had published a guidance note in May 2024 on its spending programmes, in which it states that reputational risk should be avoided when an activity is up for financing by an EU programme. This wording is vague and opens doors for self-censorship.
Needless to say that, when applying for Operating Grants, civil society organisations are doing so on the basis of their own mission and workplans, put together often in participatory ways with their constituents. As part of their mission, many civil society organisations aim to also engage with policy makers and to provide input into policies developed to tackle societal issues related to their mission and such “participation and dialogue” is also guaranteed by the founding treaties. Article 11 of the EU’s founding treaties aims to ensure the participation of civil society, in the spirit of civil engagement, where such contributions allow for better informed policymaking.
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