Workshop Documentation on Budgetary Control of NGOs’ Financing from the EU Budget

Please note: Each EPRS Study is assigned a DOI (digital object identifier), which is a safe and long term way of ensuring a hyperlink to the full text of this report. However, when ESO creates this record, on occasion the DOI still has not been activated by the EU Bookshop. If you find the source url hyperlink does not work please use the alternative location hyperlink listed as a related url.In the context of an own-initiative raport the European Parliament Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT) decided in 2016 to contract a study on Democratic accountability and budgetary control of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) funded by the EU budget. The study was presented in a pre-release version in November 2016.

It identified difficulties in terms of data availability and transparency, stemming from the fragmentation of European Commission’s systems. It also concluded that the existence of multiple, complex, overlapping NGOs networks pose significant challenges to accountability and transparency, as does the emergence of new and innovative funding mechanisms that do not involve large institutional donors.

Subsequently, a workshop in February 2017 followed on the findings of the study and aimed at providing the CONT Committee with views of NGOs, in presence of European Commission’s and Court of Auditors’ representatives.

The authors of the study, now finalised and updated with feedback received, were also present to comment. Considering the limited timing, the workshop focused on the examples of development policy, and environment policy (LIFE programme).

The workshop was public and live webstreamed. The video record can be found under the following link: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/ep-live/en/committees/video?event=20170206-1600-COMMITTEE-CONT

• Primary Source

European Parliament: Directorate-General for Internal Policies of the Union: Publications available via the EU Bookshop http://bookshop.europa.eu/en/directorate-general-for-internal-policies-of-the-union-cbf.cKABstF7wAAAEjwYYY4e5K/

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