EU: Leading anti-racism network to take EU agency to court over funding withdrawal

In July, the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) —  a grant management agency of the European Commission — notified the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) that it had decided not to proceed with the funding partnership agreement agreed a year before. The decision was apparently based on concerns over the organisation’s operational capacity — concerns that ENAR rejects.

In a statement published on 7 September, ENAR said that it had decided to challenge the decision at the General Court of the European Union.

According to ENAR, the EACEA’s decision came after a year of persistent and exhaustive questioning that left the organisation and its partners in great uncertainty. As a result of this process — which other organisations who were awarded grants were not subjected to —   ENAR has lost a three-year core operating grant putting the organisation in financial jeopardy.

ENAR has stated that if the situation is unresolved, it could be forced to cease operations by the end of 2026.

Founded in 1998, ENAR is Europe’s largest anti-racism network, bringing together more than 140 anti-racist organisations across Europe. In its statement, it highlighted its role in delivering the Race Equality Directive, the Employment Directive, and the Anti-Racism Action Plan, and as a key stakeholder for the European Commission’s first Anti-Racism Strategy.