Brussels paid environmental groups up to €700,000 to lobby and in some cases initiate legal action against German companies, German media reported on Saturday.

The European Commission and leading green NGOs, including Friends of the Earth and ClientEarth, “coordinated in detail” to promote the EU's climate agenda, according to the Welt Am Sonntag .

ClientEarth, which is headquartered in London but has offices in Brussels and several other European cities, is alleged to have received €350,000 to initiate court proceedings against German coal-fired power plants.

Amsterdam-headquartered Friends of the Earth, meanwhile, was reportedly tasked by the EU executive with drumming up resistance to the EU-Mercosur free trade deal, which is staunchly opposed by environmental groups over conce

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