Supporting Ukraine through the work of the International Renaissance Foundation will remain an important priority for the Open Society Foundations, and the work in Europe will continue. Alex Soros, chairman of the board of the Open Society Foundations, stated this in a column for Politico.
According to him, the rumors about the abandonment of activities in Europe, which were spread in the media, do not correspond to reality. Europe remains of great strategic importance for the Foundations, and the EU “remains a global beacon of the values that shape our work.”
However, priorities for activity in Europe will be revised, as it already happened after the end of the Cold War and the economic crisis of 2008. According to Alex, the future of Europe is now being determined in the East. “The future of accountable, democratic governance in Europe is now being determined not only in Paris and Berlin, but also in Warsaw, Kyiv and Prague,” he claims.
Alex Soros emphasizes that despite some thematic reduction of the work of the Open Society Foundations in Europe in general, the work of the International Renaissance Foundation will remain a priority. “There can be no doubt that we will continue to support our foundation in Ukraine,” Alex wrote. “We are proud of the network of civil society groups that she supported and that played an important role in Kyiv’s resilience against the terrible Russian military aggression.”
Also, the Open Society Foundations will continue to support independent foundations in Moldova and the Western Balkan countries, promoting their accession to the EU. This should prevent new conflicts in the Balkans and limit Russia’s influence in the region. Efforts to support Roma communities, the Central European University and other areas will also continue. “We will not abandon allies who stand up for democratic rights in the face of autocrats and would-be dictators, whether in Europe or elsewhere in the world,” says Alex.
Alex explains that while the Open Society Foundations will indeed change the working model, it should only benefit EU democracies. “Like my father, I consider the EU one of the great victories of modern history. He united countries that had almost destroyed civilization to create a common destiny, and he helped [parts of] the former Soviet republics and their satellites to transition to democracy, – explains Alex Soros. – But a lot of work still needs to be done. And my great hope is that the FVS, in its reformatted form, will be able to help the European project realize all its promise.”
