George Soros’s Open Society Foundations (OSF) are significantly decreasing its operation in EU countries as part of a broader organizational restructuring that is currently underway, according to a letter sent by the organization to all its partner institutions in Hungary on Friday, August 11th, Mandiner reported.
According to the letter—as interpreted by Radio Free Europe, which also received a copy—the Open Society Foundations, often criticized by European governments for meddling in domestic affairs, has “practically cease[d] its activities in the European Union,” and is transferring its funds to other parts of the world where there’s a more urgent need for its funds and activism.
The letter states that OSF’s board of directors decided on a “radical change of strategy” in order for the existing funds to be used more effectively. In the future, therefore, OSF intends to focus on the EU only “in the context of its role in major global issues,” with the use of “very limited” resources.
The organization said it can afford to cut back most of the European operations because EU institutions and individual governments already commit substantial amounts to promote human rights, democracy, and diversity, which is Open Society’s primary area of interest. The grants and projects will be gradually scaled back between October and February next year.
At the same time, there will be significant organizational restructuring at the OSF starting next year, which will “necessitate headcount reduction of no less than 40% globally,” wrote Mark Malloch Brown, President of Open Society last month, promising a more flexible and cost-effective workflow. “Our goals will determine our team structures, rather than our structures determining our goals.”
Answering our inquiry, the spokesman of OSF explained that EU grants will remain in place in two main areas: EU external affairs and support for European Roma communities. Furthermore, nearby non-EU countries will continue to remain in the organizations’ focus. “We will continue to be a funder of human rights, democracy, and accountable government across the region,” OSF told us, “most notably Ukraine, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, and the Western Balkans through the work of our national foundations.”
The spokesman stressed that the details of the grant restructuring will only be decided in the next months and that it does not mean that the organization is “leaving Europe” as certain news sources put it.
There is also a possibility of “developing new portfolios of work in support of strategic opportunities with a significant European dimension,” the OSF told The European Conservative, adding that:
Our work in Europe has always been an evolving whole—and these new changes are no exception to that long-term trend.
We might note that the model change appears to correspond with the recent leadership change at the top of Open Society as well. As we wrote in June, the 93-year-old billionaire philanthropist and founder, George Soros finally retired from being the chair of OSF, handing control of its empire to his son, Alexander Soros.
The organization’s new leader is just as much committed as his father to promoting Popper’s “open societies” (the liberal philosophy which influenced Soros and gave birth to his network), but his vision is even closer to today’s woke trends. For instance, Alexander Soros branded himself far more ideological than his father was, promised to invest more in explicitly political issues, and even said he’ll commit more resources to support liberals in the 2024 U.S. elections.
Perhaps this is why some European politicians are skeptical of this sudden intent to leave Europe alone. In the past, the Open Society Foundations have been not only criticized for meddling in domestic affairs but for heavily promoting pro-immigration and pro-LGBT agendas. In the United States, the Foundations have been linked to financing BLM activism and contributed $140 million to Democratic causes during last year’s American midterm elections. Across the globe, OSFs are often associated with color revolutions as well.
Even if certain funds are diverted to be used elsewhere, it’s hard to believe Open Society Foundations will give up promoting a liberal worldview in the EU, especially in conservative strongholds, such as Poland and Hungary. Balázs Orbán, the Hungarian PM’s political director, even took to social media to express his skepticism: “We only truly believe that the occupying troops are leaving the continent when the last Soros soldier has left Europe and Hungary.”
