A controversial committee investigating EU-funded NGOs will continue its work until the end of the year, after a nationally oriented alliance in the European Parliament voted to extend its mandate – a decision that has deepened divisions among political groups.
Extension approved despite lack of findings
Nationally oriented forces in the European Parliament have extended for another six months the work of the Scrutiny Working Group (SWG) – a contentious scrutiny committee investigating NGOs that receive EU funding.
The decision, taken on Wednesday, sparked outrage among other political groups, including socialists, liberals, Greens and left-wing MEPs, who denounced it as a “witch-hunt.”
The inquiry, led by an alliance of the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) and the nationally oriented Patriots for Europe (PfE), has so far failed to uncover any evidence of wrongdoing.
Most MEPs walked out of the chamber during the first hearing last November, prompting a boycott by other political groups. The investigation was originally scheduled to conclude with a report within its first six months, but that has yet to happen. According to an EU source, the nationally oriented bloc is now demanding an additional six months to prepare a draft.
Socialist and liberal leaders condemn move
Iratxe García, who leads the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group, said on social media on Wednesday that the inquiry – launched by the EPP and the nationally oriented – was “nothing less than an attack on civil society”.
“Put an end to this witch-hunt against non-governmental organisations… We strongly oppose the continuation of this harmful and senseless campaign,” wrote Valérie Hayer, leader of the liberal Renew Europe group, on X.
Similarly, Terry Reintke, co-chair of the Greens group, criticised the rightwing alliance and said extending the scrutiny committee’s mandate amounted to an “ideological crusade” by the EPP against green NGOs.
“After six months, there have been no results,” she said.
Nationally oriented MEP defends extension
However, Hungarian MEP Kinga Gál wrote on X: “Yesterday at the EP’s COP, on behalf of PatriotsEP, I supported extending the mandate of the NGO Scrutiny Working Group in the CONT committee. Originally, we called for the establishment of a fully-fledged committee of inquiry to investigate the use of taxpayers’ money to fund NGOs that advocate for the Commission’s policies and even seek to influence MEPs.
The Working Group was already a compromise. When we agreed to this in June 2025, I said: the best way to kill a strong committee of inquiry is to set up a working group with no clearly defined powers and simply call it a scrutiny working group.
Nevertheless, it is essential that the mandate be prolonged because we still haven’t received sufficient answers from the Commission. This Working Group must become more active and more thorough, but above all, it must be allowed to continue its work.
Scrutinizing the work of the Commission is not only our right — it is our duty.”
The SWG was established in November 2025.
