26/01/2026
“Advocating for life, family and human dignity cannot be in conflict with EU values.”
We thank MEP Matej Tonin for raising an important and timely concern during the plenary debate of the European Parliament: whether freedom, pluralism and equal treatment truly apply to all civil society organisations in the European Union.
In his intervention, Mr Tonin warned against a growing trend whereby organisations are questioned or excluded from EU funding not because of financial irregularities, discrimination or legal shortcomings, but because they are deemed ideologically “inappropriate”. As he rightly stated: “The European Union speaks about freedom and pluralism, but today we must ask ourselves: does this apply to everyone?”
He explicitly mentioned the case of World Youth Alliance Europe, where no financial irregularities or discrimination were identified, yet project reviews challenged our lawful views on life, family and human dignity. He correctly noted that such assessments are political rather than legal, and risk setting a dangerous precedent for civil society across Europe.
Mr Tonin called on the European Commission to make clear changes and advocated the principle that all organisations should be subject to the same criteria, transparent procedures and genuine respect for pluralism.
We fully agree. European programmes must remain open to all organisations that act lawfully, democratically and in full respect of fundamental rights, without imposing any sort of ideological criteria.
You can read more about the case here:
https://wya.net/blog/world-youth-alliance-europe-response-to-the-eacea-grant-review-letters/
