ECB charity initiative

At the end of 2010 the European Central Bank (ECB) resolved to donate €100,000 to selected charity organisations across the euro area, as part of its charity initiative, launched in the same year. With this scheme, the ECB aims to support charitable organisations which operate in the social and humanitarian fields, are located in the euro area, are well known and respected, and are not affiliated to any political organisation. In addition, preference is given to charities that contribute to the social integration of people within Europe. The particular focus for last year was on organisations working in the area of “healthcare for children and young people”.

The recipient charities were selected in cooperation with the national central banks of the euro area on the basis of the above-mentioned criteria. The money was divided equally among the following organisations:

Austria: Österreichische Kinder-Krebs-Hilfe

Belgium: Association Belge de Lutte contre la Mucoviscidose

Belgische Vereniging voor Strijd tegen Mucoviscidose

Cyprus: Centre for Preventive Paediatrics

Finland: Aseman Lapset ry

France: Fondation de France

Germany: Station Peiper – Forschungszentrum Lymphknotenkrebs bei Kindern und Jugendlichen an der Universitätsklinik Gießen

Greece: Ανοιχτή Αγκαλιά (Open Embrace)

Ireland: RESPECT – Daughters of Charity Service for People with Intellectual Disability

Italy: NUOVARMONIA ONLUS – Associazione per i bambini trapiantati e le emergenze pediatriche

Luxembourg: Association luxembourgeoise d’aide aux enfants cardiaques

Häerzkrank Kanner zu Lëtzebuerg

Malta: Inspire – the Foundation for Inclusion

Netherlands: Stichting Fitkids

Portugal: Instituto de Apoio à Criança

Slovakia: Dobrý Anjel

Slovenia: Zveza prijateljev mladine Ljubljana Moste Polje

Spain: Fundación Menudos Corazones

The donations were taken from funds earned in recent years through the external activities of members of the ECB’s Executive Board and other ECB staff. According to the ethics framework adopted by the ECB, members of staff shall not accept for themselves any fees from third parties in respect of external activities which are connected in any way with the member of staff’s employment with the ECB. Such fees go to charities. The same also applies to members of the ECB’s Executive Board.

It is the ECB’s intention to continue to donate funds to charitable organisations in the future, once a sufficient amount has been raised.