16/03/2020 (Agence Europe) – The spokesperson for the European External Action Service on Monday 16 March described the Russian authorities’ decision to include the European Endowment for Democracy (EED) on their list of ‘undesirable organisations’ as “unacceptable”, urging the relevant authorities to reconsider their decision and withdraw the EED from the list. “The EED is a values-based organisation. It represents tenets and principles that are shared by the EU, its Member States, and by many other countries around the world”, the spokesperson said in a statement. The EED, an independent grant-awarding organisation, was established in 2013 by the EU and its Member States. The spokesperson recalled that the EU had already repeatedly condemned laws on undesirable organisations and foreign agents, which contribute “to restricting civil society, independent media and political opposition”. (CG)