EU Commission under pressure: Allegations of secret deals with environmental groups!

EU Commission under pressure: Allegations of secret deals with environmental groups!

Brüssel, Belgien - The EU Commission is exposed to current allegations to be active in secret agreements with environmental organizations. According to reports, which come from the “Welt am Sonntag”, among other things, environmental associations such as Clientearth for campaigns against German companies are said to have been financed. The topic has become more important in recent months and has already been discussed intensively in the European Parliament. Merkur reported that the commission has emphasized in response to this allegations, no "secret contracts" to be entertained.

A commission spokesman said that comprehensive information about the recipients of EU funds is available in a publicly accessible financial transparency system. One of the allegations is that the EU Commission is paying environmental associations for lobbying, as a secret contract from 2022 shows, who obliged Clientearth to submit a lawsuit against coal-fired power plants. The NGO received 350,000 euros for a concept to support the coal phase -out.

political reactions and concerns

The allegations also initiated the political debate in the European Parliament, where CSU European European Ca-Parliamentarians Monika Hohlmeier expressed concerns. She warned that EU funds should not be used to undermine the rule of law. This is supported by other MPs to see the NGOs as important for democratic control and balance. Tagesschau emphasizes that there are also concerns about possible authoritarian tactics of conservative politicians who try to suppress unpleasant voices.

A report by the European Court of Auditors recently criticized the lack of transparency of NGO financing. The examiners found that between 2021 and 2023 over seven billion euros of EU support were distributed to NGOs, with active controls missing whether the financed organizations respect the values ​​of the EU. This could suspend the EU's risk of reputation. Euractiv quotes Laima Andikienė, which was directed to show that these defects Danger the credibility of the EU.