The European Commission pushed back Saturday against German media reports alleging it signed secret contracts with environmental NGOs to promote EU climate policy, calling the claims “false” and reaffirming its transparency in funding practices.
“There are no secret contracts between the European Commission and NGOs,” a spokesperson told Euronews. “The Commission exercises a high degree of transparency when it comes to providing funding to NGOs.”
The denial comes in response to an article by Welt am Sonntag, which claimed the EU Executive had paid NGOs — including ClientEarth and Friends of the Earth — up to €700,000 under undisclosed contracts to lobby for Green Deal policies, including legal action against German coal plants and opposition to the EU-Mercosur trade deal.
ClientEarth refuted the allegations, clarifying that its funding was allocated to support internal staff and operations in its German office, not litigation costs.
The controversy has added fuel to political tensions in Brussels. The European People’s Party (EPP) has long criticized the Commission’s engagement with NGOs, accusing it of using public funds to influence lawmakers. In January, Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin admitted that some LIFE programme grants had been used inappropriately to support lobbying activity, calling it “inappropriate,” though still defending the vital role of NGOs in the legislative process.
Further scrutiny came in April when the European Court of Auditors warned that funding practices risked damaging the Commission’s reputation due to a lack of clarity, though it found no breach of EU values.
To address concerns, the Commission says it has updated guidance to prevent NGOs from undertaking activities that directly target EU institutions or lawmakers and has committed to “further measures” to enhance transparency. All grant details, including recipient names and funding amounts, are available on the EU’s Financial Transparency System.
President Donald Trump unveiled a new agreement with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca on October 10, aiming to reduce prescription drug costs in the...
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of...
Large parts of Kyiv were plunged into darkness early Friday as Russian missiles and drones battered Ukraine’s energy grid, cutting off power and wat...
The U.S. government has awarded 10 construction contracts worth $4.5 billion to expand border security infrastructure along the southwest border....
French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday reappointed Sébastien Lecornu as prime minister, just days after his resignation, hoping the loyal ally ca...
President Donald Trump unveiled a new agreement with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca on October 10, aiming to reduce prescription drug costs in the United States.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
Hungary, due to its linguistic, cultural, and ethnic affinity with the Turkic world, joined the Turkic Council at the 6th Summit in Cholpon-Ata in 2018 and received observer status in the Council (OTS, s.a.).
The U.S. government has awarded 10 construction contracts worth $4.5 billion to expand border security infrastructure along the southwest border.
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
Authorities in California have identified the dismembered body discovered in a Tesla registered to singer D4vd as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had been missing from Lake Elsinore since April 2024.
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on 13 September with no tsunami threat, coming just weeks after the region endured a devastating 8.8-magnitude quake — the strongest since 1952.
Haiti's food insecurity is projected to worsen by mid-2026, with nearly 6 million people facing critical hunger levels. Gang violence and economic collapse have displaced families, disrupted agriculture, and eroded livelihoods, leaving over half the population reliant on aid.
During a meeting with Kim Jong Un, Dmitry Medvedev expressed gratitude for North Korea's military support in the Kursk region, highlighting the sacrifice of North Korean soldiers as a testament to the strong bilateral relationship.
Developing nations are entering a new and worrying phase in their relationship with China. A new report from Boston University finds that, in 2022 and 2023, these countries paid more in debt service to China than they received in new Chinese loans.
President Donald Trump announced on Friday that hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are expected to be released on Monday.
President Donald Trump unveiled a new agreement with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca on October 10, aiming to reduce prescription drug costs in the United States.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment