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Sir, – NGO Monitor’s efforts to gain transparency for the European Union’s large-scale and secret funding of political advocacy NGOs has been the subject of numerous uninformed and often false statements, such as in “Hijacking Zionism.”

The EU’s secret processes, by which marginal anti-peace organizations and groups that abuse the banner of human rights receive millions of taxpayer euros every year, clearly violate the principles of democracy and good governance.

Non-transparency in public funding suggests that the parties are hiding details that would be embarrassing or worse.

When the EU stonewalled NGO Monitor’s request for significant documentation, we petitioned the European Court of Justice to order the release of the documents, as required by the EU’s Freedom of Information law. But after almost three years, and in violation of due process standards, the court did not even hold a hearing and rejected the request, claiming it was a matter of “public security.”

In contrast, a number of responsible members of the European Parliament as well as policy makers in member states have recognized the damage caused by this anti-democratic process.

Anne Herzberg
Jerusalem

The writer is NGO Monitor’s legal adviser