Conflict of Interest Exposed in Conservative Push to Defund NGOs

This afternoon, MEP Monika Hohlmeier has announced she will use a debate in the European Parliament to push for an end to the type of EU grants to NGOs that allow them to spend money on advocacy. 

Backed by the EPP and ECR political groups, Hohlmeier has for long publicly championed calls to curtail EU funding to environmental NGOs, denouncing the use of “public money for lobbying and advocacy”, in particular from the LIFE programme set up by the Commission to support environmental and climate action. Yet, she herself receives €75,000 annually from BayWa, a German corporation that has benefited from €6.5 million under the LIFE Programme—the very fund under review. BayWa, the largest agricultural trader in Germany and active in numerous countries around the world, also reportedly engages in lobbying activities in the European Parliament. This raises questions about whether EU funds are being used for purposes similar to those Hohlmeier criticises when denouncing environmental groups.

“A conflict of interest like this raises serious ethical questions.” Said Kenneth Haar, Corporate Europe Observatory researcher and campaigner, adding: “The European Parliament rules are clear: MEPs must declare any such conflict before participating in relevant debates or decisions. Yet Hohlmeier has failed to do so in her work within the Budget Control Committee, where she plays a pivotal role in overseeing EU budgetary matters. She sees no conflict of interest. I think most citizens would.”

“This is a textbook example of hypocrisy and a direct attack on democratic accountability,” Kenneth Haar continued. “Hohlmeier cannot credibly scrutinise the same funding mechanisms that benefit her private employer. Her role as rapporteur erodes trust in the European Parliament’s independence and integrity.”

The LIFE Programme plays a critical role in funding environmental and climate action projects across the EU, and attempts to defund NGOs under this scheme have already been criticised as profoundly undemocratic. Now, Hohlmeier’s conflict of interest underscores the need for strong safeguards to prevent misuse of power by those tasked with oversight.

“The European Parliament must take swift action and hold Monika Hohlmeier accountable. The consequences of failing to do so are obvious: corporate lobby groups will tighten their grip on Brussels, further dominating the lobbying landscape and stifling the voice of civil society. The fierce campaigns by the CDU against the greening of EU’s food policies are a clear cut example. Hohlmeier shares a position in the supervisory board of BayWa AG, self declared to be the largest agricultural trader in Germany” with Joachim Ruckwied, president of the very influential German farm lobby group Deutscher Bauernverband (DBV), and large farm owner himself.”

This kind of grotesque conflict of interest and imbalance will only deepen, allowing corporate interests to flourish unchecked. Such a shift would erode the balance of power, entrench corporate influence in EU decision-making, and weaken the democratic foundations of the European Union." Concluded Hans van Scharen, Corporate Europe Observatory researcher and campaigner.

ENDS

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Notes to editor

• Hohlmeiers announcement ahead of today’s debate in which she calls for an end to “contracts” that would allow NGOs to do advocacy work:
• “BayWa re” in the Transparency Register with information on funding from the LIFE programme:
• Monika Hohlmeier’s latest form on her work in the Budget Control Committee in which she declares no awareness of conflict of interest:
• Monika Hohlmeier’s statement on her salary from BayWa:
• CEO’s sum up of the campaign against NGO funding:
• BayWa defines itself in their history and vision a global player in agriculture and energy
• Hohlmeier, as mentioned in this analysis by Slow Food, have been linked to discussions involving DBV