EU NGO Funds: Malta Bowling Association on Brussels’ Funding List

The Austrian Daily Kronen Zeitung published an article some days ago shedding light on the distribution of billions of euros of EU funds to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) between 2019 and 2023. The revelations included the unexpected appearance of the Malta Bowling Association as one of the beneficiaries.

According to the figures, the European Commission under Ursula von der Leyen allocated €17 billion worldwide to NGOs during the period in question. Out of this sum, approximately €270 million was directed to Austria alone, with well-known organisations such as Caritas and CARE Austria receiving multi-million euro contracts.

However, smaller and more surprising recipients are buried within the EU’s extensive funding list. According to official EU records, the Malta Bowling Association was awarded contracts valued at € 60,000, along with sports groups in countries such as Serbia and the Czech Republic.

The disclosure has raised eyebrows in Austria and Germany, where the media have questioned the opaque distribution of EU money, and in Malta. While Brussels has defended the allocations as part of its broader support for civil society, critics argue that including small sports associations, such as a bowling club in Malta, illustrates a lack of transparency and raises questions about priorities.

The German-language Kronen Zeitung ran with the headline “NGO-Milliardenregen: Nun muss alles auf den Tisch” (“NGO billions: now everything must be put on the table”), stressing the need for accountability. Similarly, on social media, commentators highlighted the incongruity of large development NGOs being listed alongside a bowling association in Malta and even a wrestling club in Africa.

The EU Commission has been accused of initially attempting to block or delay the disclosure of the complete list of beneficiaries, which has further fuelled criticism. Calls for Brussels to provide a more precise breakdown of the criteria and objectives behind such funding are now growing across member states.

For Malta, the case has stirred debate on whether such grants truly reflect the needs of the island nation’s civil society. While sports organisations undoubtedly contribute to community development, questions remain about how and why the Malta Bowling Association qualified for EU funding in a programme dominated mainly by humanitarian, environmental, and development NGOs.

As scrutiny intensifies, Brussels may be forced to explain its funding priorities and the mechanisms that allowed relatively small groups, including those in Malta, to benefit from the same streams of money as international humanitarian giants.