For some reason, the European Parliament fights tooth and nail against the transparency of the actors influencing political decision-making (in this case, NGOs).
The left-wing parties in the EP accuse the EPP of colluding with far-right groups, as the EPP spoke out against the Commission in favor of increasing the transparency of NGOs operating in Brussels.
The “accusation” was simply that the Commission was funding NGOs in order for certain EU institutions to support policy measures that the Commission considered to be right, of course with EU taxpayers’ money. According to the RENEW and Social Democratic groups, this request reinforces the far-right narrative.
At the same time, several corruption scandals swept through the EP (Qatargate, Pfizer case, Huawei scandal) due to which, although not on the first attempt, the rules on the activities of lobbying organizations were tightened, specifically in the name of transparency. It is therefore paradoxical that corruption caused by lobbying firms is reprehensible, while the “conflict of interest” arising from the activities of NGOs is fine, its criticism is an extremist narrative and a direct attack on civil society.
Translated and edited by Juta Klein