The European Federation of Catholic Family Associations (FAFCE) has been stripped of European Commission funding after its projects were flagged for “alleged violations of EU equality principles and values”, with the head of the Federation calling it “ideological discrimination”.
FAFCE – European Federation of Catholic Family Associations (FAFCE) has operated for nearly 30 years, advocating at the European level for emphasizing the role of the family in social life and for taking pro-demographic action.
In recent days, FAFCE President Vincenzo Bassi announced that the European Commission excluded the Federation from funding six projects promoting the protection of children and youth “due to alleged violations of EU equality principles and values”.
Bassi called this “ideological discrimination”.
In a letter posted on the Federation’s website, Bassi notes that the Commission points, for example, to “limited information on gender disparities in civil society organizations, which may limit the depth of gender analysis and understanding of how participation barriers are overcome”, and that such an approach “may violate EU equality regulations”, which resulted in the application score being reduced by 30%. Other comments referred, for instance, to the use of “gender-sensitive language”.
“Founded in 1997, FAFCE is the only family-focused NGO at the EU level that includes the term ‘Catholic’ in its official name”, the letter reads. The organization brings together 33 associations from 21 countries.
FAFCE has appealed for support.
Kinga Gál, Hungarian MEP and vice-chair of Fidesz, calls the Commission’s decision “scandalous”.
“In reality, this is ideological discrimination at the highest level. They are being punished for defending the family as the basic unit of society. In Brussels, this is now treated as unacceptable”, she wrote on social media.
Ireneusz C. Kamiński, former judge of the European Court of Human Rights (ETPC), pointed out that the justification for the “penalty” – a 30% reduction in the evaluation of the organization’s projects – is particularly striking: “the omission of the gender perspective” and “the violation of equality regulations”.