The European Union has confirmed that it will provide $3.5 million in funding to the Open Society Foundation, which was established by left-wing billionaire George Soros.
The funding will support the Open Society Foundation’s efforts towards promoting “EU values” in Bulgaria, Czechia, Slovakia, and Hungary and to raise awareness on rights and values through support to civil society organizations.
Despite the controversies surrounding Soros and the Foundation, the EU has stated that it is in active cooperation with the group, Breitbart reported.
However, the decision to grant taxpayer funds to the Foundation, which is already well-endowed with funding from its billionaire founder, has been criticized by European politicians.
Romanian MEP Cristian Terhes has called for EU reform and decision-making powers to be returned to the people, rather than being left in the hands of big-money lobbyists such as Soros.
Senior figure Jorge Buxadé of Spain’s VOX party also expressed opposition to the EU’s decision, calling it “globalism and destruction of nations in its purest form, financed with your money.”
“Soros Open Europe Foundation frequently meets and lobbies the European Commission for the promotion of anti-nation, anti-family, anti-life, anti-fundamental rights policies across EU,” the Christian Democratic National Peasants’ Party representative said.
“The fact that his organization got three million euros out of taxpayers’ money from his eurocrat puppets is another confirmation why the EU needs a deep reform, where the states will take back decision-making powers from these unelected and accountable bureaucrats,” he continued, adding that power needs to be “brought back to the people.”
In the past, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has referred to Soros as “one of the most corrupt people in the world.”
Soros has returned the accusations, calling Orbán a “kleptocrat” who has constructed an elaborate system to rob Hungary.
The Open Society Foundation has denied any involvement in supporting the Catalonian independence movement.
The two projects funded by the EU will begin this year and will last for 36 months.
READ MORE: New York Post Declares George Soros ‘The Most Dangerous Man in America’