Transparency and NGO funding have come into play in the European Parliament’s 2023 discharge procedure for the European Commission’s budget, for which the Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT) adopted its position, on Tuesday 8 April.
EPP, ECR and PfE MEPs have accused the European Commission of funding NGOs to promote the ‘European Green Deal’ within the European institutions (see EUROPE 13564/15). On Tuesday 1 April, the European Commission recognised two problematic cases (see EUROPE 13612/16).
In response, the CONT Committee stressed in the political priorities of the European Parliament’s resolution on the 2023 discharge, “the importance of the principle of the separation of powers in the EU” and reiterated that “the institutions must cooperate loyally with each other”.
The European Commission already added a disclaimer to its grant agreements, in 2024. This stated that “the views of the beneficiary do not in any way represent the views of the EU and the granting authority cannot be held responsible for them”.
In line with the report by the European Court of Auditors (see EUROPE 13616/20), the CONT Committee calls on the Commission to better define civil society organisations and NGOs, to guarantee their inclusion in the Transparency Register, to ensure the transparency of their funding and to ensure that they reflect the values of the EU.
MEPs are calling on the Commission to inform them of the results of its examination of the subsidy agreements. The 2023 discharge procedure still has to be adopted in plenary session. (Original version in French by Florent Servia)