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The financing of the Council of Europe by Open Society and Microsoft

Written question No. 756 to the Committee of Ministers | Doc. 15186 | 18 November 2020

Question from
Mr Barna Pál ZSIGMOND, Hungary, EPP/CD

Even though the Council of Europe is an intergovernmental organisation, it receives private funding. According to the data on voluntary contributions published on the Council of Europe's website, its two main private funders are George Soros' Open Society and Bill Gates' Microsoft company, which contributed €1,527,466.67 between 2004 and 2013 and €967,078.07 between 2006 and 2014 respectively to the organisation. The public documents do not specify the conditions and purposes of these payments.

Mr Barna Pal Zsigmond

To ask the Committee of Ministers:

To specify the use made of these funds, the legal framework in which they were made, and to make public all documents relating to their payment.