The Open Society Foundations of George Soros, the Hungarian-born American banker and philanthropist, is planning to significantly reduce its operations in Europe and lay off a significant portion of the staff on the continent. This was revealed through an internal email sent by the directors of the billionaire’s foundation to the staff of the Berlin office, and seen by The Associated Press. This decision, which will lead to a significant reduction in the European Foundation’s activities, follows the announcement made in late June by Alex Soros, son of George Soros, regarding a new operating model. The Soros Foundation has fought battles for years ranging from gay rights to climate change to policies to encourage immigration to the European continent. He has often clashed with conservative governments such as Orban’s in Hungary.

Alex Soros assumed the chairmanship of the Open Society Foundations Board of Directors last December. Recipients of funds in Europe inform the Ap that they have not been received from the top management of the fund
Corporation No communication regarding change of strategy. According to reports by the Associated Press, the
The foundation proposed staff cuts of 80% in the Berlin offices, at least 60% in the Brussels offices and an unknown number of layoffs in the London office.

“The Open Society Foundations are changing the way we work, but my family and the Open Society Foundation have long supported the European project and remain deeply committed to it,” Alex Soros said in a statement. An OSF spokesperson said the foundation remained committed to “promoting democracy and combating authoritarianism in Europe, and the civil society sector is crucial to such causes”. Grantees told the Associated Press that withdrawing support for human rights, political participation or digital protection in the EU would be a strategic mistake and asked if the foundation had made a final decision to do so. They also said that the lack of communication and uncertainty hurt Osf’s reputation.