Rightwing forces in the European Parliament have extended by another six months a controversial scrutiny committee investigating NGOs that receive EU funds.
The decision on Wednesday (13 May) prompted outrage from other political groups, including socialists, liberals, greens and leftwing lawmakers, who described it as a “witch hunt.”
The inquiry, led by an alliance between the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) and the far-right Patriots for Europe (PfE), has so far failed to uncover any wrongdoing.
Most MEPs walked out during its first meeting held last November, leading to a boycott by other political groups.
The inquiry was supposed to produce a report within its first six months but has yet to deliver. An EU source says the rightwing faction is now seeking an additional six months to complete the draft.
Iratxe Garcia, who heads the Socialists and Democrats (S&D), said on social media on Wednesday that the EPP/far-right-led inquiry “is nothing else than an attack on civil society”.
“Stop this witch-hunt against NGOs…We strongly reject any prolongation of this harmful and substanceless campaign,” said the leader of the liberal group Renew Europe Valérie Hayer on X.
Similarly, the co-chair of the green group Terry Reintke slammed the rightwing alliance and said that the extension of the mandate of the scrutiny committee is the EPP’s “ideological crusade” against green NGOs.
“After six months, there have been no findings,” she said.
The scrutiny working group (SWG) was formed in November 2025.
Dirk Gotink, a Dutch centre-right MEP with the EPP together with Italy’s far-right Patriots for Europe MEP Carlo Fidanza, had been given six months to produce a report on their findings.
Gotnik has openly admitted that the inquiry is politically driven.
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