A newly released report has revealed the European Commission’s extensive financial backing of NGOs and think tanks to promote its political agenda and suppress dissenting views. In response, Brussels-based conservative think tank MCC Brussels has called for the creation of a European Department of Governmental Efficiency (EU DOGE) to investigate and curb what it describes as a vast EU–NGO propaganda network.

The original DOGE, co-chaired by US billionaire Elon Musk, was established under the second Trump administration and is currently engaged in dismantling various deep-state structures in Washington. Its first major target was the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which oversees the majority of US foreign assistance. Musk’s team discovered that USAID had been using its funds to support a vast network of progressive NGOs and media outlets aimed at discrediting right-wing sovereignist governments and interfering in the domestic affairs of countries, including Hungary. Given that many European media organizations and NGOs are part of this network, it is both essential and logical to scrutinize them in the same manner as DOGE has done in the United States.

Propaganda Network Paid by EU Taxpayers

The report, titled The EU’s Propaganda Machine: Funding NGOs to Promote EU Values, exposes how billions of euros in taxpayer money are being directed towards pro-EU organizations and media outlets. These funds support initiatives that seek to entrench European integration while sidelining alternative viewpoints.

Among the key findings, the report details substantial funding allocations, including:

• €250 million to the pro-EU news network Euronews over ten years.
• €250 million to the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), a think tank advocating for deeper EU integration.
• €15 million for the European Movement International (EMI), led by staunch pro-EU—and also a frequent critic of Hungary—Guy Verhofstadt.
• €270,000 to NGOs in Romania, Bulgaria, and Italy, including Freedom House Romania, for projects designed to counter euroscepticism.
• €1.2 million to the Union of European Federalists (UEF), which promotes a federal European state.

According to MCC Brussels’ executive director Frank Furedi, the EU has built a ‘propaganda network of NGOs and compliant media, paid for by EU taxpayers, often working directly against the wishes of European citizens.’ He asserts that only a dedicated watchdog with investigative authority—such as the proposed EU DOGE—can uncover the full extent of this ideological manipulation.

Why We Need EU DOGE

MCC Brussels’ proposal for an EU DOGE is inspired by a similar initiative undertaken by the Trump administration to root out government waste and politically motivated spending in the United States. The organization argues that such a body is essential to:

• Expose financial mismanagement: Investigate how EU funds are being allocated and ensure taxpayer money is not being used to promote one-sided narratives.
• Ensure democratic accountability: Prevent EU institutions from using public funds to interfere in domestic political debates and elections.
• Increase transparency: Track and publicize financial flows to NGOs and think tanks that receive EU funding.

Furedi warns that the problem is likely even larger than what has been documented, as the report primarily focuses on the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) program, which received €1.5 billion in funding. Other funding channels remain largely unexplored.

The report argues that EU-funded NGOs serve as conduits for Commission-backed narratives, creating an echo chamber that amplifies pro-EU messaging while marginalizing dissenting perspectives.

Key concerns include:

• Massive funding for self-promotion: The European Commission has earmarked over €45 billion under its ‘Resilience and Values’ umbrella, with €1.8 billion specifically allocated to ‘Rights and Values’.
• Political interference in member states: NGOs receiving EU funding have reportedly been used to challenge democratically elected governments, particularly in countries such as Hungary and Poland.
• Skewing public discourse: The EU’s financial support of NGOs and media outlets has allegedly created a cycle in which these entities advocate for more EU policies and funding, reinforcing supranational governance at the expense of national sovereignty.

One of the most alarming revelations of the report is the absence of robust oversight mechanisms for EU funding. The complex web of financial allocations makes it difficult for citizens and watchdog organizations to track how funds are being spent. This lack of transparency raises concerns about misuse of public money and the Commission’s ability to influence policy debates through indirect means.

Thomas Fazi, the report’s author, describes the situation as a fundamental threat to European democracy:

‘The massive EU-NGO propaganda complex exposed in this report—a central pillar of what can rightly be termed the European deep state—serves as a stark reminder that the greatest threat to democracy in Europe today comes not from external forces, but from within.’

Besides MCC Brussels, others have recently called for the establishment of a European DOGE. Markus Walbrunn, an MP from the German right-wing party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD)—currently the second-largest political force in Germany ahead of the 23 February elections—recently told the British outlet The Telegraph that AfD views Musk’s rapid deregulation efforts in the US as a model for reducing EU oversight and restoring greater national control over migration policy. According to Walbrunn, EU institutions suffer from ‘bureaucratic sclerosis’, which hampers member states like Germany from carrying out large-scale deportations of illegal immigrants. Therefore, AfD supports any initiative similar to Elon Musk’s DOGE.

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