Europe’s philanthropic voice

“The recent Atlantic economic crisis has had a negative impact on the image and perception of the [philanthropic] sector in terms of efficiency, utility and fiscal regime”. Marco Parlangeli, head of the Italian Fondazione Monte Paschi di Siena, admits that in his new role as president of the European Foundation Centre (EFC) he will face many challenges, first among these the promotion of “accountability, transparency, openness, good practice, professional skills and cooperation”.

The EFC, founded in 1989, represents 253 European non profit organizations and aims to be the voice of European philanthropy. Parlangeli was officially appointed as the organisation’s president on May 28 in Carcais, in Portugal. At 51, Parlangeli is one of the youngest leaders of the sector. “The scenario is unstable, there are fears that the Greek crisis will spread. Foundations will play an increasingly strategic role in the economy and welfare of European countries, intervening when governments are short of funds,” Parlangeli said to the Sole 24 Ore, Italy’s leading financial newspaper.

His aims as head of the EFC? “The main objective is to finally have the Statute of European Foundations approved. We have been working towards this goal since 1999, when I was involved in writing the first draft. By 2012 the European Council should be in a position to decide on its approval. We are headed in the right direction at last,” Parangeli told VitaEurope.

There is no doubt that a common European ruling on Foundations would be a breath of fresh air as at present if a Foundation wants to carry out activities in a country different to their own (as is the case for the majority of the Foundations that the EFC represents) it has to open new headquarters abroad, an expensive affair.

According to research carried out by the Max Planck Institute and Heildeberg University there are 110 thousand foundations in Europe, which means an average of four foundations every 10 thousand people. The total funding granted by European foundations is more than double that of American foundations, between 83 and 150 billion euros per year and the sector employs between 750 thousand and 1 million full time staff.

Read the full text of Parangeli’s first speech as president of the EFC in the pdf attached.