We are joining 550 other civil society organisations in denouncing the ongoing attack against civil society by Members of the European Parliament.
European civil society organisations are currently facing an attack coming from certain Members of the European Parliament.
Spearheaded by some Members from the European People’s Party and by far-right groups, this attack resorts to misleading arguments to fabricate a scandal. This portrayal has been amplified through the media, with notable exceptions of articles that attempted to clarify this misleading narrative.
European civil society organisations are crucial to ensure the voices of citizens from different parts of Europe are heard in the EU institutions. Attacks against civil society are not new and are exacerbated by this harmful idea.
Furthermore, for-profit corporate lobbying is through the roof when compared to non-profit advocacy. In 2024, the 50 corporations with the largest lobbying budgets collectively spent nearly €200 million on lobbying the EU alone (66% more than in 2015). Comparing this to the funding environmental NGOs receive under the LIFE programme – €15.6 million annually of a €700 million yearly budget – truly shows the weakness of this ‘scandal’.
This is why over 550 civil society organisations from 40 countries, including all EU Member States, have joined forces to call on those in power to act now and ensure that civil society is adequately funded and enabled to share our crucial perspectives. In this statement, we address:
- The source of this false narrative;
- Inaccurate claims made about how civil society organisations obtain and use funding;
- Why it’s paramount that civil society organisations receive sufficient funding;
- The need for civil dialogue to enable civil society participation.