European Commission headquarters. Photo: Pixabay/dimitrisvetsikas1969.
As part of a campaign against foreign influence, the European Union (EU) is working on a law that will require NGOs and academic institutions to be subjected to audits to disclose any funding received outside the EU, three sources confirmed to POLITICO.
According to a European official, the EU version of the NGO law is unlikely to target individuals, but would cause both commercial and nonprofit organizations across the EU to disclose non-EU funds related to transactions, such as the funding of academic studies.
As part of the new cold war promoted by Washington, the aim of these laws would be to stave off Russian and Chinese influence on Europe, which has reportedly faced hacking and story-leaking campaigns designed to change election results. In addition, the EU alleges that grants have been provided to organizations that helped to “shape rhetoric about human rights and most recently, the Qatargate corruption scandal that has rocked the European Parliament.”
At the heart of the issue is the desire of countries to control the influence of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which in recent years have been involved in creating and fomenting protest movements, media firestorms, and overthrowing governments. The role of NGOs in the 2014 coup in Ukraine, for example, or in the failed coup attempts in Nicaragua (2018) or Hong Kong (2019), has been covered at length. NGOs often work hand in hand with education organizations, particularly universities and colleges. As a result, numerous governments are seeking to ensure that foreign-funded NGOs declare the sources of their income.
When Nicaragua sought to regulate NGOs in 2022, US media claimed that the country had sunk into “dictatorship.” When Venezuela proposed a similar law earlier this year, mainstream media exploded with shrill condemnation, citing an NGO spokesperson’s concern that the bill would “kill the last functioning remnant of the country’s democracy.” Ironically, the US Foreign Agent Registration Act, enacted in 1938, put similar regulations into effect in the USA.
Last year, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a “defense of democracy” package, which kicked off work on the foreign influence bill. Today’s news comes just as protests broke out in Georgia over a similar bill. In that case, Georgia’s Parliament sought to tighten government control over NGOs; EU and US spokespeople immediately weighed in with their disapproval.
Paradoxically, the EU opposes what they have done in other countries outside of Europe: seek to influence the politics of other countries through nongovernmental organizations. In this way, a policy of double standards is revealed on the part of the European organization, considering its position on the issue in relation to Georgia, Nicaragua or Venezuela, among other countries.
(MisiĂłn Verdad)Â with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SL
