🧨When Transparency Becomes a Weapon

Good morning, superstar!  

Good news: It’s the end of the week (congrats!) and tomorrow is the first day of summer. Longer days and the promise of slow meals under the trees, buzzing terraces, and your well-earned seaside break just around the corner. 

Meanwhile, here in Brussels, the temperatures have been soaring – and as always, I’m reminded that one thing this city doesn’t have is a nearby, swimmable body of water (despite these guys’ best efforts). Still, I’ve braved the heat (and the temptation to escape to a park), turned on the fan, brewed litres of iced coffee, and pulled together this week’s EU policy updates just for you. 

And hey – if anyone in Brussels has a pool and feels like sharing, do let me know! While you think it over, let’s dive into this week’s edition. 

🫧 IN THE BRUSSELS BUBBLE   

🔍 THE LATEST IN THE NGO FUNDING SAGA 

MASKS OFF – This week, the political attack on NGOs escalated in the EU Parliament. A faction of conservatives and far-right lawmakers teamed up to establish a Scrutiny Working Group on NGO financing within the Budgetary Control Committee to exclusively investigate how NGOs are financed by the Commission. It is impossible to argue that this is done in the name of transparency when most beneficiaries of EU funds, including commercial entities, are excluded from the scrutiny efforts. 

NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN – As an avid reader of our newsletter, you have probably heard about the disinformation campaigns that have been targeting NGOs in the last few months over the EU LIFE funding. This fabricated tale of “occult NGO financing” to push the Commission’s agenda in Parliament has already been debunked by Politico, by Commissioner Serafin in a written response to Parliament, and once again last weekend by the Commission, which told Euronews: “Contrary to media allegations, there are no secret contracts between the European Commission and NGOs.” 

ALONE IN THIS GAME – “Using institutional mechanisms to intimidate those who defend public interests, climate, the environment and human rights is a dangerous precedent – one imported straight from the illiberal playbook”, we said on Thursday in a statement urging democratic forces in the Parliament to continue opposing this smear campaign in the Budgetary Control Committee. These unfounded and shameless attacks have also been strongly objected to by the other traditional grand coalition partners and pro-EU political groups, including the socialists, liberals and greens. 

MOVE ON – The EU Commission has consistently maintained, and independent scrutiny has confirmed, that its NGO funding practices are entirely legal, transparent and in line with EU rules. All grant agreements are publicly available and subject to strict transparency requirements. Allegations of misconduct have been repeatedly investigated and dismissed by the Commission, the Court of Auditors, journalists and Members of the EU Parliament. 

Commissioner Serafin has explicitly stated that NGOs were not instructed or required to lobby Members of the EU Parliament. This position was reaffirmed last month during the 7 May plenary session, where the Parliament endorsed the legality and legitimacy of the funding in its discharge vote on the 2023 budget. 

THAT’S NOT WHAT THESE ARE FOR, CHIEF – The proposal of a working group in the absence of any wrongdoing by civil society groups represents a total misuse of institutional authority, and is clearly driven by dark political motives. It would unjustly cast doubt on organisations that act transparently and within the law, echoing past instances of baseless targeting. 

We believe in the importance of transparency, accountability, and effective oversight of public spending. That said, any serious conversation about the transparency of EU funding should encompass all types of recipients, whether non-profit or private businesses and ensure that the same level of scrutiny is applied equally to everyone. At a time when strengthening democratic resilience is critical, such actions risk weakening the very fabric of civil society and are straight out of the playbook of authoritarian figures taking place around the world. 

🚨 OMNIBUSSING GREENWASHING TOO? 

NOW THIS? Nothing seems safe from the omnibus fever sweeping through Brussels. The next potential casualty? The Green Claims Directive. Yes, the long-awaited law that is supposed to protect consumers, like you and me, from greenwashing, by requiring companies to prove their green claims, and increasing transparency. 

The conservative European People’s Party had already recognised in previous rounds of negotiations the need for this Directive. Yet, in a letter to the Commission, they now call for the directive to be scrapped, labelling it a costly and complex administrative burden. That familiar string of buzzwords – increasingly found lurking in press releases and official statements – has become shorthand for a worrying trend: dismantling hard-won social and environmental protections in the name of blind ‘simplification’, ignoring democratic consultation and scientific recommendations. 

💸 INVOICE ENCLOSED FOR MASSIVE WATER BILL* 

*TO BE PAID BY EU TAXPAYERS – As EU negotiators met this week for the third round of talks on updating the list of harmful substances to be monitored in EU waters, the message from citizens is clear: the time for action is now! Over two years of delay have left Europeans footing a massive bill: soaring clean-up costs, mounting health risks, and collapsing biodiversity. Find the invoice here and what we propose! 

WHILE POLLUTERS GET A FREE PASS – While EU taxpayers continue to stump up vast sums, those major industries most responsible for pollution (and many of whom still enjoy tax breaks and subsidies – read: free public money) are still not paying their fair share – not even close.  

This isn’t just bad policy; it’s a middle finger to democracy. With 78% of EU citizens demanding stronger water protections, and 92% wanting companies to pay for the costs of cleaning up the pollution they cause, it’s high time for the EU to deliver. We need bold leadership, urgent action, and a firm commitment to upholding the ‘Polluter Pays Principle’, enshrined in EU law since 1987.  

🗞️ IN OTHER NEWS  

🔥 THE EU IS NOT PREPARED TO FIGHT THE CLIMATE CRISIS 

PUBLIC HEALTH ABLAZE – The arrival of the warmer months is now marked not only by longer days and rising temperatures, but also by an increasingly grim trend: a surge in climate-related illnesses and deaths across the EU. Each year, more lives are lost as the Union continues to lack a comprehensive public health strategy to address the growing threat posed by the climate crisis. 

Scientists are sounding the alarm. Europe is the fastest-warming continent on the planet, yet it remains underprepared for the health consequences of extreme weather, the spread of tropical diseases, and heat-related mortality.  

CHOP CHOP – Earlier this year, the Global Risks Report from the World Economic Forum ranked environmental threats as the most pressing global risks within the next decade. To confront this crisis, Europe urgently needs a forward-looking strategy that includes restoring natural ecosystems – 80% of which are currently in poor condition – improving climate resilience, and accelerating the phase-out of fossil fuels. The truth is that the health of our planet and the health of our people are inseparably linked. 

ON THAT NOTE – Join us next week in standing up for the Green Deal, social justice and global equity. As EU leaders gather for a summit in Brussels on 26–27 June, with key climate and social issues at risk of being sidelined, NGOs, academics, international movements and citizens will unite in a major mobilisation to demand that environmental and social priorities remain at the heart of EU decision-making. See the full agenda here. 

🍉 A RED LINE FOR GAZA  

Last week, alongside 110,000 people and 150 organisations, the EEB supported, and our staff joined the Red Line for Gaza, a human chain through the city of Brussels, in a powerful stand against the Israeli government and army violence, oppression, and impunity. We called for the enforcement of international law, the delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need, and justice and accountability for all violations of human rights and international law.  

On Monday, 23 June, the EU Foreign Affairs Council will discuss the potential suspension of the EU–Israel Association Agreement in light of serious violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza. We’ll be there again, joining the demonstration demanding a suspension of the trade agreement and accountability for Israel’s leadership. The EU and its Member States must act decisively, using every tool at their disposal to stop Israel’s ongoing, intolerable violations of human rights and international law. Join us at 9 am at the Schuman roundabout. 

🧠 DOPAMINE HIT  

Your weekly dose of good news to brighten your inbox. 

– Beavers are back in Portugal after 500 years. Never say never to the beaver. Read more here 

– In California’s largest landback deal, the Yurok Tribe reclaims sacred land. Read more here 

– Birds vs. Wind Turbines: New Research will prevent deaths. Read more here 

– Coal mines could go solar: a new report finds that converting just 300 old surface mines could add 103 GW of solar, enough to power a country the size of Germany! Read more here 

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By: Roi Gomez. Special thanks to the EEB’s editorial team: Ben Snelson, Ruby Silk and Alberto Vela. Editor: Christian Skrivervik