More than 185 NGOs have expressed their “full solidarity” with the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) after the organisation had its funding removed by an EU agency. It comes after the anti-racism network announced it would be taking the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) to court over the decision.
In a statement published Tuesday, the civil society groups express their shock at the decision of the EACEA to terminate its grant agreement with ENAR, pointing to the organisation’s “strong track record and respected status”. The NGOs further highlighted that the decision could have profound implications for all civil society organisations and could be particularly damaging to Europe’s anti-racism movement.
Ten months of questioning
After ten months of questioning, auditing, and profound uncertainty, the organisation was notified in July that the EACEA had terminated its operating grant for 2026–2028, apparently over concerns about its “operational and organisational capacity” — concerns that ENAR rejects.
A year earlier, ENAR was informed that it had successfully passed the evaluation required to sign its grant agreement. However, among the 70 successful EU grantees, ENAR was the only one left without a signed agreement and, eventually, to face termination of the grant.
The network now faces a serious risk of closure as result of the funding disruption.
“Profound concerns for civil society across Europe”
The signatories of the letter, representing a diverse collection of civil society groups in several countries, further highlighted that this decision could have implications far beyond ENAR.
“If a long-standing civil society partner with a proven track record of programme implementation can face the loss of its core funding,” they write in the statement, “every organisation working to defend equality and fundamental rights has reason to be concerned.”
ENDS
Press contact: Benjamin Goodwin, European Civic Forum: bgoodwin@civic-forum.eu
Notes to editors
[1] Founded in 1998, ENAR is Europe’s largest anti-racism network, bringing together more than 140 anti-racist organisations across Europe. ENAR helped deliver the Race Equality Directive, the Employment Directive, pushed for the Anti-Racism Action Plan after George Floyd’s murder, and served as a key stakeholder for the European Commission’s first Anti-Racism Strategy. Moreover, it funds 20 grassroots organisations a year through its Empowerment and Resilience Fund.
[2] ENAR has launched a fundraising appeal and public petition.