The European Union has long provided over €200 million in grants to organizations promoting gender ideology, according to a new report by the think tank MCC Brussels. This has raised questions about the EU’s priorities and use of citizens’ tax money.
The report, authored by sociologist Ashley Frawley of MCC Brussels, shows that between 2014 and 2021, the EU has funded 258 organizations working on LGBTQ issues and the promotion of gender ideology, UnHerd reports.
Based on figures for the period 2014 – 2023, the organizations have received around €221 million in grants.
The largest grantee for the period 2014 – 2023 was ILGA Worldwide, which received €64.95 million for its advocacy work on gender identity. Other recipients included its European branch, ILGA-Europe (€16 million), the international LGBTQ organization IGLYO (€6 million), Transgender Europe (TGEU) (€4.6 million), the Lesbian Feminist and Intersectional Network (€6.2 million) and Intersex International Europe (€1.2 million).
Ashley Frawley commented on the report: “NGOs use EU funding to pressure national governments into adopting gender identity laws, bypassing national sovereignty”.
“Dictated by unelected activists”
Frawley argues that EU policies, originally designed to protect women and girls, have been reshaped to prioritize gender identity issues instead. Frawley believes that the policy has been “dictated by unelected activists rather than open national debates”.
– NGOs have played a direct role in drafting EU gender policies, frequently operating without public transparency.
The report highlights that many of the funded organizations are actively working to influence EU policies and legislation. This raises questions about potential conflicts of interest and democratic legitimacy.
Among the largest recipients of EU funding is the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), which has received over €30 million. IPPF is controversial because of its involvement in abortion issues and sex education for children.
– They have redefined gender to have a very weak relationship with biological sex, and then they emphasize gender over sex, Frawley told The Epoch Times.
MCC Brussels: Violating the principle of neutrality
The think tank argues that funding organizations like these goes against the EU’s principle of neutrality on ethical issues. They argue that the Union should focus on more pressing economic and social challenges.
The conservative think tank ECLJ is also critical of EU policies in several areas and has previously published expert reports on freedom of expression, digital laws and EU climate policy. The MCC Brussels report is thus part of ECLJ’s ongoing review of EU policies and priorities.
The debate on the EU’s funding of gender ideology organizations is expected to intensify in light of the report, with questions of transparency, accountability and priorities in the EU’s budget allocation coming into focus.
It is worth noting that MCC Brussels is a think tank linked to the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC), which has received funding from the Hungarian government under Viktor Orbán.
Critics, such as Corporate Europe Observatory, have questioned the independence and transparency of the think tank regarding its funding and lobbying activities.
