European Commission Under Fire Over NGO Lobbying Scandal

Secret Contracts and Lobbying Activities

As a Member of the European Parliament, I have always believed that transparency and accountability must be the foundations of our European institutions. Today, that trust has been severely shaken. The recent revelations that the European Commission secretly financed NGOs to lobby in favor of its Green Deal policies represent one of the most serious breaches of public trust in recent memory. This scandal is not just about money. It’s about the integrity of our democratic process and the very principles on which the European Union was built.

The European Commission funneled billions of taxpayers’ money into NGOs that were then tasked with lobbying us - elected representatives - on behalf of the Commission’s own policy agenda. According to De Telegraaf, these organizations were instrumental in advancing the controversial Nature Restoration Law, championed by former Commissioner Timmermans. One of the contracts cited by the newspaper reveals that a €700,000 grant was specifically intended to steer the agricultural debate toward a green agenda. This was not independent advocacy but paid political manipulation.

Let me be clear: NGOs play a vital role in policymaking, providing expertise and representing civil society. But when they are directly funded by the Commission to lobby for specific policies, we are no longer talking about civil society engagement. We are talking about a state-funded echo chamber, designed to create the illusion of grassroots support while suppressing genuine democratic debate.

Financial Mismanagement and Lack of Transparency

Beyond direct lobbying, the Commission has reportedly spent an astonishing €2.6 billion annually on studies supporting the Green Deal. Many of which lacked scientific rigor and relied on data from the very NGOs lobbying for these policies. Where were the independent impact assessments? Where was the critical scrutiny that should accompany any public spending of this scale? Frans Timmermans and his team repeatedly failed to provide proper assessments, choosing instead to shape research around predetermined political conclusions. They effectively rubber-stamped ideological projects at the expense of our constituents.

We have seen it before: the 1999 resignation of the Santer Commission over fraud and nepotism, the Eurostat financial scandal in the early 2000s, and, more recently, Qatargate, which exposed the extent of foreign influence in EU policymaking. The difference this time is that the corruption is not coming from external actors. It is embedded within the very institutions that are supposed to uphold our democratic principles.

Restoring Trust: What Must Be Done

The misuse of taxpayer money for lobbying is an attack on democratic integrity. The Commission must be held accountable, and those responsible for this abuse of public funds must face real consequences. I call for:

If we fail to act, we will not only damage public trust in the European Commission but erode faith in the entire European project. European citizens deserve nothing less than a Union that works for them. Not for special interests, not for ideological campaigns, and certainly not for its own self-preservation.

Tomáš Zdechovský

Czech Politician | Member of European Parliament (MEP)