S&Ds: The EPP targets NGOs under the false pretext it is caring for transparency

transparency person writing text

The Socialists and Democrats are joining forces with other progressive political groups to expand the transparency checks of actors receiving funding from the EU Commission. This joint action is a response to the proposal from the EPP Group, which wants to focus on NGOs only. This happens in the context of the discharge procedure of the Commission for 2023. 

A letter has been prepared by the European Parliament’s committee on budgetary control, which will be sent later today to Commissioner Piotr Serafin, who is responsible for budget, anti-fraud and public administration.

In this letter, the Socialists and Democrats considerably expand the scope of actors whose contracts for funding with the European Commission have to be checked by the European Parliament for transparency. 

The Socialists and Democrats oppose the attempts of the EPP Group to limit the demand to only the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and instead ask for the contracts in force in 2023 of all beneficiaries of funding from a larger number of Directorates-General of the European Commission to be checked.*

Mohammed Chahim, vice-president of the S&D Group for industry, energy, climate and financing the just transition, said: 

“What the EPP does is absolutely outrageous! They try to imply the NGO sector has an undue influence over the legislative process as it gets funding from the European Commission and has its say on the impact that EU policies have on the life of Europeans. We want to be clear - NGOs are crucial in the democratic process and in the decision-making in the EU. It is also very important for the trust of Europeans that the EP’s committee on budgetary control doesn’t use double standards, contrary to what the EPP Group does. Transparency must apply to everybody, not just to the NGOs - that is why we ask the contracts of all beneficiaries from a larger number of Directorates-General of the European Commission to be checked compared to what the EPP wants.”

Carla Tavares, S&D coordinator in the European Parliament’s committee on budgetary control, said:

“For the S&D Group, it is clear that transparency cannot be applied to non-governmental organisations only and must apply to everybody. We must strive to further develop the EU as a modern, open legal system connected to its citizens. This S&D Group’s action comes after the attempts of the EPP Group in the European Parliament to deliberately attack a number of policies the European People’s Party supported in the recent past. The EPP Group is now envisaging to label these policies as related to suspicious practices in terms of funding and transparency. We cannot accept that civil society’s organisations become collateral victims of this deliberate behaviour while the true targets are key progressive EU policies such as the Green Deal or the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, among others.

*Note to editors:

DGs to be included in the checks:

- Defence Industry and Space; 
- Research and Innovation; 
- Environment;
- Climate Action;
- Agriculture and Rural Development;
- Justice and Consumers; 
- Migration and Home Affairs. 

MEPs involved
Vice-president
Netherlands
Coordinator, Member
Portugal
S&D press contact