“Dear Presidents…” – European Philanthropy calls for effective solidarity across borders in an open letter to EU institutions
In times of the current crisis, European foundations have been quick to respond to the outbreak of the pandemic, expressing solidarity with the wider civil society, pooling emergency funds and providing support to the most affected communities across Europe.
On 8 April 2020, the European philanthropic associations DAFNE and EFC have addressed pressing issues related to the COVID 19 outbreak in an open letter to the presidents of the EU institutions President von der Leyen (European Commission), President Michel (European Council) and President Sassoli (European Parliament). The letter stresses that the efficacy of crisis response of the philanthropic sector lies within the power of EU policymakers. DAFNE and the EFC make concrete policy recommendations which would facilitate the vital work being done by European philanthropy to mitigate the horrific effects of this global pandemic. Especially at a time when national policymakers are closing borders in Europe, philanthropic organisations need to ensure their effective operations and collaborations internationally.
DAFNE and the EFC jointly represent more than 10,000 donors and foundations across Europe which provide in total 60 billion euros annually to the public good. SwissFoundations is a founding member of DAFNE. Furthermore, SwissFoundations is being represented in the Philanthropy Advocacy Legal Affairs Committee (LAC) by Julia Jakob since the beginning of this year.
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