Use of EU funds to lobby MEPs questioned in European Parliament

The European Union is debating whether it is acceptable to provide EU funding to organizations that try to persuade MEPs to make certain decisions, sometimes contrary to the interests of the European Union.

As reported by Euronews, the European People’s Party, which is the largest group in the European Parliament, raised the question of the appropriateness of EU funding for the activities of non-governmental organizations if they are aimed at promoting certain policies, sometimes contrary to the interests of the European Union.

Monika Hohlmeier, an EPP MP and Vice-Chair of the Budget Committee from Germany, brought up the issue. She stated that there may be a case of improper use of EU funds when the European Commission’s Environment Department provided grants to NGOs that lobby against the interests of farmers and some policies of the European Commission itself.

Some of these agreements mandated NGOs to coordinate demonstrations and exert pressure on MEPs via mass mailings prior to crucial votes on these subjects. According to her, some organizations have used the funding to lobby against EU free trade agreements such as the Mercosur deal, despite the fact that the President of the European Commission herself is an unequivocal supporter of this agreement.

During the discussion, other members of the European Parliament noted that it was unfair to single out only organizations that focus on environmental issues.

“Are we also going to investigate whether any CAP [Common Agricultural Policy] subsidies were used to bring farmers to Brussels to protest? I hope not,” said Slovak MEP Martin Hojsik of the Renew group.

In this context, some MEPs have raised questions about Hohlmeier herself because of her participation in the board of the German agricultural company BayWa.

This week, European Commissioner for Budget Peter Serafin admitted that it was “inappropriate for some EC services to enter into agreements obliging non-governmental organizations to engage in lobbying, particularly against members of the European Parliament.”

The EC issued an order last spring to take “urgent measures, such as amending existing grant agreements.” According to Serafin, this solved the problem.

The European Commissioner noted that the role of NGOs in EU policy and debate is still important. “We do not necessarily have to agree with the views of these organizations. But their position helps the European Commission and the European Parliament to make well-informed decisions,” said Peter Serafin.

In his comments on the matter, Balázs Ujváry, a spokesperson for the European Commission, noted that activities aimed at promoting a particular policy in the EU are not prohibited but “should be carried out in a less targeted manner and not directly targeted at representatives of European institutions.”

After the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the European Parliament revoked the accreditation of lobbyists who represented Russia’s state interests.

In 2023, after the QatarGate scandal, the European Parliament approved changes to internal rules to strengthen safeguards against corruption and lobbying.