Exploring Transparency and Accountability: Regulation of Public-Benefit Foundations in Europe

With the strings tightening on government purses across Europe and the role and influence of non-profit organisations growing, a number of questions have been raised concerning the legitimacy of foundations in particular and whether existing public regulation and self-regulatory frameworks are enough to ensure that the sector is open and held accountable. Seeking to offer answers to these questions, the EFC (European Foundation Centre) and DAFNE (Donors and Foundations Donors in Europe) mapped and analysed how the transparency and accountability of foundations is framed by legal and tax legislation and self-regulatory initiatives across Europe