The European Commission has excluded the Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe (FAFCE) and the World Youth Alliance (WYA) from EU funding after rejecting multiple project applications, citing alleged violations of equality measures and “EU values.” FAFCE’s president describes the decisions as ideological discrimination, arguing that they penalise organisations that support families, children and human dignity while holding pro-life convictions.
In December 2025 FAFCE was excluded from EU funding after applying for six projects under programmes such as CERV and Erasmus+, including initiatives on youth protection and digital education for minors.
According to FAFCE, the Commission’s evaluations stated that “The limited information on gender disparities in civil society organizations participation may constrain the depth of the gender analysis and the understanding of how barriers to participation are addressed in different demographic groups,” and that “The approach may contravene EU equality provisions,” leading to a 30 % penalty in the project evaluation. One assessment added that “although EU values are appropriately integrated, the proposal should provide clearer explanations on how principles such as human dignity, democracy, and equality are operationalized,” while another concluded that “Gender-sensitive language and accessibility measures are referenced. However, there are limited safeguards against discrimination or victimization.”
FAFCE president Vincenzo Bassi rejected these conclusions as ideological, noting that an entire project was devoted to the digital education of minors. The proposals presented families as “an instrument of social inclusion and of protection” and addressed concrete risks faced by minors. FAFCE invoked its long-standing role in civil society and recalled that pluralism is “a principle enshrined in art. 2 of the Treaty on the European Union,” stressing that “No organisation should ever be penalised for defending a legitimate position in the public square.”
FAFCE warned that the loss of funding could result in staff dismissals and a reduced presence at EU and international institutions from 2026 onward.
Similar cases point to a broader pattern. Other conscience-based organisations have also been denied EU funding. The World Youth Alliance (WYA) was rejected after evaluators criticised it as “one-sided” for referring to human dignity and sexual health without endorsing abortion or comprehensive sexuality education, while organisations promoting pro-LGBTI and pro-abortion positions received funding under the same programmes. Members of the European Parliament have questioned these decisions, warning that funding mechanisms risk becoming instruments of ideological selection rather than support for civil society diversity.
Update (10 September 2026): The European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) lifted the payment suspensions affecting all three Erasmus+ grants under review involving World Youth Alliance Europe, closing the reviews after considering the organisation’s responses. The reviews had questioned whether WYA’s positions on human life, the family and sexuality complied with “EU values”. In its decision, EACEA confirmed that the alleged breaches had not been established sufficiently to justify keeping payments suspended.