Urgent life-saving intervention required for European environmental NGOs

Carbon Market Watch defends the independence of environmental NGOs receiving EU LIFE programme funding against allegations from some Members of the European Parliament that these organisations act as unofficial mouthpieces for the European Commission. The organisation highlights the vast disparity between the €15 million annual LIFE funding for NGOs and the €1.3 billion spent by corporate lobbyists in 2023, asserting that such grants are vital for balancing the playing field without compromising the NGOs' role as watchdogs.

• Certain Members of the European Parliament, led by Monika Hohlmeier of the Budget Committee, allege that environmental NGOs receiving EU LIFE programme funding are used by the European Commission to 'shadow lobby' for the European Green Deal.
• There is a significant funding gap between corporate lobbying and civil society; while corporate and business interests spent €1.3 billion to lobby EU institutions in 2023, the LIFE programme provides just over €15 million annually to environmental NGOs.
• Carbon Market Watch asserts its independence from the European Commission, citing its critical reports on the EU Emissions Trading System and the 'Clean Industrial Deal' as evidence of its watchdog role.

APA

Diab, K. (2025). Urgent life-saving intervention required for European environmental NGOs. Carbon Market Watch. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2025/04/04/urgent-life-saving-intervention-required-for-european-environmental-ngos/

Chicago

Diab, Khaled. Urgent life-saving intervention required for European environmental NGOs. Carbon Market Watch, 2025. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2025/04/04/urgent-life-saving-intervention-required-for-european-environmental-ngos/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Diab |first1=Khaled |title=Urgent life-saving intervention required for European environmental NGOs |publisher=Carbon Market Watch |date=4 April 2025 |url=https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2025/04/04/urgent-life-saving-intervention-required-for-european-environmental-ngos/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{diab2025urgent, author = {Diab, Khaled}, title = {{Urgent life-saving intervention required for European environmental NGOs}}, publisher = {Carbon Market Watch}, year = {2025}, month = apr, url = {https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2025/04/04/urgent-life-saving-intervention-required-for-european-environmental-ngos/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }