Source: European Parliament
Priority question for written answer P-000280/2025/rev.1
to the Commission
Rule 144
Roberto Vannacci (PfE)
According to an investigation conducted by a well-known Dutch newspaper[1], the Commission has secretly been funding environmental groups by means of reserved contracts, with the aim of promoting the Green Deal and influencing the debate on agricultural policies.
This funding would seem to amount to around EUR 1 million, and the beneficiary organisations would appear to have been given specific objectives for exerting pressure on MEPs and national governments to support the green reforms promoted by former Commissioner Frans Timmermans.
The use of public resources to fund lobbying raises serious questions over the transparency and impartiality of the Commission’s work, threatening to undermine the principle of institutional neutrality and the sound functioning of the European democratic process.
In the light of the above, could the Commission answer the following questions:
- 1.Can it confirm the existence of contracts and funding for environmental groups for lobbying to promote the Green Deal?
- 2.Can it state the amount of funding granted, and indicate the beneficiaries and the objectives pursued?
- 3.What measures will it take to ensure maximum transparency in the allocation of public funding and to prevent potential conflicts of interest in the EU decision-making process?
Submitted: 22.1.2025
- [1] https://www.ansa.it/europa/notizie/rubriche/altrenews/2025/01/22/media-ue-pago-lobby-green-per-appoggiare-riforme-timmermans_2b74e2b7-4f86-46d7-8520-506b5a77d95e.html.