Involvement of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Qatargate

24.1.2023

Question for written answer  E-000204/2023
to the Commission
Rule 138
Gunnar Beck (ID)

In the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs committee meeting of 5 September 2019, the Commission answered my question regarding the examination of NGOs in respect to money laundering and terrorist financing. It said that ‘these organisations do not want to give the impression that they are engaged in criminal conduct’[1].

In a follow-up written question, the Commission said that it assessed the risk of NGOs as ‘less significant’ in its supranational risk assessment reports, published in 2017 and in 2019[2].

• 1.Given the implication of two NGOs in the ongoing Qatargate scandal, ‘Fight Impunity’ and ‘No Peace Without Justice’, is the Commission still of the opinion that NGOs are not engaged in criminal conduct?
• 2.What will the Commission do to crack down on NGOs involved in corruption, money laundering and other criminal activities following the Qatargate revelations?
• 3.Why won’t the Commission include NGOs as obliged entities under the anti-money laundering framework in order to resolve the problem of corruption within NGOs?

Submitted: 24.1.2023

• [1] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-9-2019-002805_EN.html.
• [2] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-9-2019-002805-ASW_EN.html.