EU funding for controversial NGOs
18.5.2020
Question for written answer E-003054/2020
to the Commission
Rule 138
Izabela-Helena Kloc (ECR)
In a recent report, the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ) studied the relationships between NGOs and judges of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) between 2009 and 2019. The report showed that seven NGOs have influenced the ECHR with controversial methods. Some of their aims also relate to highly controversial issues.
According to the Financial Transparency System (FTS), some of these NGOs receive substantial EU funding, notably the Open Society Foundation (2018: EUR 500 000), the Helsinki Committees (2017-2018: EUR 2.016 million), the International Commission of Jurists (2017-2018: EUR 4.389 million) and Amnesty International (2017: EUR 85 000). Others seem to have received no EU funding in 2017-2018, including Human Rights Watch, INTERIGHTS and the AIRE Centre.
- 1.Could the Commission confirm or refute these numbers?
- 2.Following the report about their behaviour before the ECHR, will the Commission stop including these NGOs among the beneficiaries of EU funding?