"SOROSAID": Powerhouse of Political Corruption in the European Parliament

Between 2020 and 2023, the top European beneficiaries of the Open Society Foundations participated in 1,587 lobbying meetings to influence EU policy-making, according to a study by the Center for Fundamental Rights. In Brussels, 7,500 lobbyists have unrestricted access to the European Parliament, but the most active ones were primarily organizations on the funding list of the Open Society Foundations.

Source: Center for Fundamental Rights

With the funding awarded, George Soros and his network aimed to support NGOs with a focus on exerting globalist pressure. Thus, in addition to Transparency International and the Helsinki Committee enjoying a prominent place on the funding list, several organizations that are the leading advocates of illegal migration and gender ideology received financial support. Between 2016 and 2023, George Soros spent 1.4 billion dollars (approximately 538 billion forints) supporting NGOs in Europe and post-Soviet states, with 90 million dollars (35 billion forints) going to Brussels-based groups. The return on this funding was political  leverage: the ultimate aim of the transactions was to influence EU decision-making, which is a clear case of political corruption, the Center for Fundamental Rights argues.

Source: Center for Fundamental Rights

The European Parliament not only tolerates this but actively enables it through weak transparency rules. This analysis by the Center for Fundamental Rights aims to expose the lobbying activities of organizations funded by Soros within the European Parliament.

Previous studies by the Center for Fundamental Rights have detailed how Open Society Foundations (OSF) bankrolls liberal NGOs in Europe, the post-Soviet region, Hungary, and Brussels. These beneficiaries are diverse, covering hundreds of organizations but they share a common thread: they promote globalist causes, advocating issues dear to liberals, such as gender ideology, migration, war, abortion, or the rule of law. Another common feature is their critical stance toward Hungary and the Europe's patriotic right wing, often making hostile public statements against them.

Political corruption has long been a serious problem in Brussels, as seen in the Eva Kaili scandal, Ursula von der Leyen’s Pfizer text message controversy, money laundering allegations against ex-EU commissioner Didier Reynders, and corruption cases linked to several of Manfred Weber's allies.  Given the minimal asset declaration and transparency requirements for Brussels officials, these revelations are hardly surprising. In light of this, the Hungarian National Assembly recently adopted stricter asset declaration rules for Hungarian MEPs.

The Economist highlighted the flourishing of corruption in Brussels in a 2021 article, noting that 25 thousand lobbyists operate in the Belgian capital with a combined annual budget of 3 billion euros. Around 7,500 of them are accredited with the European Parliament, meaning they regularly meet with MEPs. These meetings must be registered and disclosed in the transparency database, but the system is far from allowing proper public scrutiny.

On the platform, data is only available since October 2020, and the interface is difficult to use. For example, even the names of the organizations participating in these meetings are not standardized: the organization at the top of our list, Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs, is referred to in several forms and languages. Just like in the case of OSF funding disbursements, the lack of transparency and the confusion serve the same purpose here: to make the path of corruption untraceable. The aim of this analysis was to examine the Brussels lobbying activity of the most heavily Soros-funded European and Brussels-based organizations between 2020 and 2023.

Lobbying activity in the European Parliament by the European and Brussels-based NGOs most supported by the OSF:

#	Name of organization	Number of lobby meetings
1	Bureau Europeen Des Unions De Consommateurs	313
2	European Environmental Bureau	229
3	Transparency International	177
4	European Digital Rights	140
5	Friends of the Earth Europe	90
6	Helsinki Bizottság	74
7	International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association – Europe	59
8	Finance Watch	54
9	Corporate Europe Observatory	53
10	Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants	50
11	Civil Rights Defenders	47
12	The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF)	44
13	European Climate Foundation	42
14	International Planned Parenthood Federation European Network	40
15	European Public Health Alliance	36
16	Friends of Europe	34
17	European Council on Foreign Relations	30
18	Civil Liberties Union for Europe	26
19	European Network on Debt and Development	25
20	Solidar	24
Total		1587

Between 2020 and 2023, the top 20 lobbying organizations met with various MEPs a total of 1,587 times, typically related to legislative matters, but often for entirely different reasons as well. These meetings often took place in the offices of the MEPs, so little is known about the actual content of the discussions. The Eva Kaili case provides some insight, as those involved stated that bribes in exchange for political favors could be moved easily and invisibly with the help of NGOs. The lack of consequences in Brussels and the "one hand washes the other" attitude is evident in the fact that those implicated have faced no serious repercussions.

Looking at the organizations in our top 20 list, it’s clear that certain influential globalist groups have been extremely active. Ranking second, with 229 meetings is the European Environmental Bureau — a mouthpiece for a radical, irrational "dark green" ideology in Brussels. In a 2019 report they argued for reducing production (i.e., deliberately lowering the standard of living) as the only way to address environmental impacts.
Globalist lobbying groups are also present: Transparency International, with 177 meetings in third place, actively seeks to discredit the Hungarian government both in Brussels and domestically on matters crucial to Hungarian national interests. With 74 meetings, the Helsinki Committee ranks sixth — an organization offering services to illegal migrants. Also on the list with 26 meetings is the Civil Liberties Union for Europe, whose Hungarian member is the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (TASZ).

Pro-migration organizations like the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants also appear, ranking 10th with 50 meetings. The pro-abortion International Planned Parenthood Federation European Network, which opposed Hungary's heartbeat law, had 40 meetings, placing it 14th. Also on the list is the European Council on Foreign Relations, a Soros financing-founded pro-war think tank, with 30 meetings at 17th place.

Even from the numerous meetings of these previously analyzed organizations, it is evident that Soros’s main goal was to advance a globalist agenda within one of the EU’s legislative bodies. When we encounter legislation or resolutions that support such initiatives or condemn Hungary, we have good reason to suspect that Soros’s financial support and lobbying efforts played a role in their adoption.

Cover photo: Source: Center for Fundamental Rights