BEUC is an independent not-for-profit making consumer organisation, registered under Belgian law as an AISBL (Association internationale sans but lucratif) under number 422 071 051.

Our funding

BEUC is committed to making decisions that are in the best interests of independent consumer organisations and ultimately, consumers. For this reason, BEUC only accepts funding on topics that are a priority for consumers and BEUC members.
Potential funders are vetted through a due diligence process to ensure that we do not compromise on our mission and values when it comes to raising income for our work, as further explained below. We believe that strict and diligent application of due diligence processes to our funders helps ensure that BEUC remains independent and that our priorities always align with consumers’ best interests.

How we accept & refuse donations

BEUC believes that securing financial support from funders has an important role to play in delivering on our mission.  
However, to defend our valued independence, we are rigorous when deciding whether or not to accept a donation from any source. 

We have a list of high-risk indicators which we consider ahead of engaging with a new funder. This can include, but is not limited to:

• Is the organisation a corporate entity?

• Is the organisation, or its board members, strongly affiliated with a corporate entity? 

• Does the organisation have a vested interest in, and/or direct connection with any of our activities (necessary to prevent any conflict of interest) 

• Will the proposed work detract from our core mission and/or that of our members? 

If any of these answers is ‘yes’, BEUC automatically refuses financial support. Additionally, if such a concern comes to light at a later stage, BEUC reserves the right to terminate partnerships immediately. 

What other criteria do we apply to our funders?

In addition to protecting our independence, BEUC does not work with funders who do not align with our values, vision and mission. This criterion is decided on a case-by-case basis, but for instance, can include private foundations directly involved in carbon-intensive fossil fuel industries (such as coal extraction), arms manufacturing, tobacco, etc. 

To ensure that the reputational risk associated with each new funder is carefully considered, BEUC Executive pre-approves all new funders prior to receipt of new donations or grants. 

Who is responsible for accepting and refusing funds?

The BEUC Project Development team and the Director General are responsible for day-to-day compliance checks in line with our funding acceptance and refusal policy. This responsibility is shared with the BEUC Executive, which is composed of elected representatives from the BEUC membership.

Who are our current funders? 

BEUC is committed to full transparency regarding its funding sources and publishes a list of its funders each year. The latest information on funding is available in our annual report: https://annualreport.beuc.eu/