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Guest blog from the European Environmal Bureau (ENB)
In the EU, environmental
NGOs face an unprecedented attack – and alarm bells are ringing. Disinformation about NGO
funding, coupled with attempts to fabricate a false scandal, has forced
us to bust a few myths... This is the newsletter that we would never have
wanted to write. But at a time when the most basic democratic
values are being so openly eroded, this campaign to shrink civic space is
far more sinister than it appears.
👀 WHAT'S GOING ON?
Emboldened by a globally
surging authoritarian agenda, some
EU policymakers are attempting to backtrack on environmental and social
safeguards. How? By targeting NGOs.
On Wednesday evening, some MEPs brought a targeted debate to the EU Parliament
regarding the public funding of NGOs. The question raised in the plenary
was whether these entities (such as the EEB) should be entitled to
receive economic support (in the form of operating grants) from the
EU Commission to carry out their work.
SORRY, BUT WHERE'S THE
SCANDAL? NGOs are not funded
by the EU Commission to lobby the EU Parliament or other EU institutions
upon their instructions or on their behalf. Our work programme is decided
by citizen organisations across Europe, our daily work is firmly rooted
in science, and we operate fully
independent from institutional (and corporate) agendas.
Our role is to contribute to policy-making by providing
scientific evidence and citizens’ perspectives. It is then up to
decision-makers whether they listen to our contributions. We work
for people and the wider public interest – seeking to support their
health, their rights, and access to a healthy environment.
Transparency is at the
core of our mission, so the
EEB joined the EU Transparency Register in 2009 – five years before it
became mandatory. So, what's the story behind EU institutions
financing civil society representatives to represent civil society in
policymaking? The truth is this: there is no story.
A DROP IN THE OCEAN – The focus of these attacks is the EU’s LIFE programme,
the bloc’s main funding instrument for nature conservation and climate
action. It totals around €700 million per year or 0.3% of the EU budget.
As part of this programme, the EU Commission allocates €15.6 million
(0.006% of the EU budget) annually across many different
environmental NGOs to support their invaluable nature and climate work in
providing evidence-based, scientifically supported and fundamentally
constructive recommendations to EU policymakers on issues that matter to
Europeans.
💪 A CRUCIAL COUNTERWEIGHT
ASKING THE WRONG
QUESTIONS – We need NGOs to be
doing what they’re doing. Why? NGOs are not receiving many billions
from the EU Commission, as reported by some media. €15.6
million annually is a mere fraction of what many private companies
and industry actors receive from the EU (e.g. tens of billions of euros flow annually
to Europe's biggest and wealthiest agribusinesses at the expense of
smaller farmers who are saddled with spiralling debt). Simple truths like
this become even more uncomfortable when the interests of big business wrongly claim to represent the interests
of those at the bottom of the pile...
PRIVATE MONEY HIJACKING
DEMOCRACY – In Brussels, the
levels of lobbying from private actors are off the charts compared to
NGOs. 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). It is hardly surprising, then, that many vital files and
policies within the EU ‘Green Deal’ ended up being diluted, derailed, or
discarded altogether. Such unfortunate fates resulted from coordinated,
sustained, and well-documented attacks by private vested interests.
NGOs speak truth to power and challenge disinformation with facts, reason, and
common sense. This simple antidote works, and people can hear it, read
it, and see it themselves.
🐘 HEY, LOOK OVER THERE!
A DISTRACTION BY DESIGN? Vast, wealthy, profit-driven corporate lobbies have
direct and disproportionate access to policymakers and are peddling this
unwarranted influence.
NOTHING TO SEE HERE... Gifts from private lobbyists to some policymakers are
alarmingly common, while one in four MEPs holds a second income-generating job, blurring
the lines between public duties and private interests. Want to know
something even more interesting? The majority of these private second
incomes are earned by the same MEPs who are pointing the finger at
NGOs – go figure...
REAL SCANDALS – The recent investigation into lobbying around PFAS
– dubbed 'forever chemicals' due to their links to cancer, hormone
disruption, immune system damage, and drinking water contamination –
highlights how private funding is swaying decision-makers to downplay
risks to public health, rights, and justice.
Declare everything –
we do –
and so should everyone else. It's time to establish
robust rules that prevent conflicts of interest and implement meaningful
reforms to ensure EU taxpayer money is used to advance public interest in
policymaking, not the private enrichment of a small few. If anything, this represents
the most pressing reputational risk the EU currently faces.
💻 THE SHADY INFLUENCE OF TECH
FAHRENHEIT 451 – From page one of the ‘authoritarian playbook’:
silence criticism, remove opposition and control communication.
Authoritarian leaders across the world have long followed this simple
formula: repression of street demonstrations, criminalisation of political
opposition, silencing of the free press, and now, partnership with Big
Tech.
TECH BRO-LIGARCHY? At President Trump's inauguration, the presence of one
sector was hard to miss. The shoulder-to-shoulder union between Big Tech
and political leaders should be a cause of great concern.
BLACK MIRROR – One of the gravest challenges to democracy today is the
prevalence of disinformation. This phenomenon is being fuelled not only
by right-wing populist politicians and unaccountable corporate lobbies;
it is also enjoying a massive boost from Big Tech. For instance, social
media giants have developed algorithms favouring untrue or misleading narratives cooked
up by bad actors, while some have actively removed key ‘fact-checking’
features.
TECH
BRO-VERREACHING – Part
of this political power is now being channelled toward directly
challenging EU tech policy. We must resist these trends or risk
having corporate elites and merchants of disinformation dominate what we
hear, read, know, and think.
WE CARRY ON – In short, the entire discourse around funding NGOs has
been deliberately engineered to deflect people’s attention away from the
real threats to our democracy and to prevent NGOs and civil society
actors from carrying out their important work for people and the planet
we call home.
IN OTHER EEB NEWS
THIS WEEK...
♻️ MOMENTUM FOR A CIRCULAR ECONOMY
LEADING ON ECO-DESIGN – We are proud to have been appointed as a member of
the Ecodesign Forum. Ecodesign is one of the EU’s most impactful
achievements in circular economy policy, ensuring products are designed
with sustainability at their core. With the adoption of the Ecodesign for
Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) last year, these principles
will now apply to more products than ever. The forum will play a critical
role in identifying which products should be prioritised under these new
rules. We’re excited to contribute to this important work and help make
truly sustainable products the new norm!
UNITY ON VEHICLE REPAIR – This week, the EEB, alongside numerous other EU level
organsiations and industry actors, made a joint call to the EU Parliament to
ensure strong repair and reuse provisions in the new EU Vehicle Law. See full statement.
🐾 MOVING THE NEEDLE ON SUSTAINABLE FOOD AND ANIMAL
WELFARE
PLANT-BASED FOOD – This week, the EEB was one of 130 organisations calling on EU
Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen, to deliver an EU Action Plan on Plant-Based Foods!
Such a plan would present a win-win opportunity for farmers, consumers,
nature and EU competitiveness!
ANIMAL WELFARE IN EU
COURT – Big news this week in
the legal corner, as several animal welfare-focused NGOs were accepted by the EU Court of Justice to
join the lawsuit regarding the #EndTheCageAge campaign. 84% of us have
called for better treatment of farmed animals,
while 1.4 million signed the European Citizens' Initiative to End the
Cage Age. It's time for the EU Commission to deliver on its promises!
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By: Ben Snelson. Special thanks to the EEB's
editorial team: Alberto Vela, Ruby Silk, Roi Gomez, Carlotta Di Pasquale. Editor: Christian Skrivervik
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