Statement by the Chair of the EP Budgetary Control Committee on the ECA report on the transparency of EU funding to NGOs

Niclas Herbst, Chair of the Committee on Budgetary Control, reacts to the findings of a European Court of Auditors report on EU funding to NGOs.

Following the publication of the special report "Transparency of EU funding granted to NGOs" by the European Court of Auditors, the Chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control Niclas Herbst (EPP, DE), issued this statement:

“The Court of Auditors confirms our criticism on NGO funding. There is a lack of transparency and control as to whether the NGOs in question share our EU values at all. There is still no complete overview of EU funding to NGOs.

Even the term “NGO” is not understood in the same way by the Commission, its partners and the authorities of the Member States. The listing of NGOs in the Financial Transparency System, the most important transparency instrument for first-level recipients of EU funds, is still not strict enough and is based on self-declarations.

The Court of Auditors is fully justified in criticizing the fact that important aspects of NGO status are not checked, such as who exactly has the final say in the NGO's governing bodies.

As a result, some organizations are incorrectly classified as NGOs in the Financial Transparency System, even though they have close ties to governments. There must be no room for interpretation when it comes to defining NGOs.”

For further information contact:

Office of Mr Niclas HERBST tel. +32 2 284 72 70, e-mail: niclas.herbst@ep.europa.eu