In recent years, the European Commission has restructured CERV funding to disproportionately benefit left-liberal NGOs, many of which are directly or indirectly tied to George Soros and his network.
The changes to CERV's funding mechanisms were designed to circumvent national oversight. Conservative governments that refuse to align with Brussels’ ideological direction have no say in how this money is distributed, even though their taxpayers contribute to it. Instead of allowing civil society organizations from all backgrounds to apply for support, CERV now overwhelmingly favors groups that promote mass migration, LGBTQ activism, and deeper EU integration—policies that many European citizens oppose. The EU has effectively cut out national decision-makers from the process, ensuring that the money flows only to organizations that reinforce Brussels’ political objectives.
Nowhere is this clearer than in Hungary, where millions of euros have been funneled to activist groups working against the country’s elected government — €13 million in the last two years, to be precise. Despite repeated democratic mandates rejecting Brussels’ progressive policies, these organizations continue to receive EU funding to lobby against Hungarian sovereignty and pressure international institutions to sanction the country. In essence, the Hungarian people are forced to finance their own opposition, while their government is portrayed as "anti-democratic" for resisting this manipulation.
Brussels has also weaponized CERV to control public discourse and suppress dissent. Under the pretense of "protecting democracy" and "fact-checking," EU-funded organizations shape narratives, censor conservative voices, and discredit any opposition to their preferred policies. What was supposed to be a civil society support program has instead become a massive EU-funded propaganda network, one that ensures Brussels’ political allies remain dominant in the European debate while silencing alternative viewpoints.
This is no accident—it is by design. The EU’s elite have transformed CERV into a self-reinforcing system: Brussels funds left-wing NGOs, which then produce reports, advocacy campaigns, and media content promoting the EU’s agenda. These reports are then cited by the EU itself as justification for further political action, be it withholding funds from member states or fining them for defending the EU’s shared borders.
This closed-loop system guarantees that the EU’s preferred ideological narratives dominate, while opponents are branded as extremists and denied access to the same financial resources.