Allegations of toxic bullying are causing significant repercussions within Brussels’ largest health NGO

21 May 2024 , 17:47

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The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) is engulfed in crisis after a wave of resignations.

It has been one of the most respected voices for medical professionals and their patients for more than 25 years.

Now, the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) is engulfed in crisis, after claims of harassment and a toxic work culture, and a wave of resignations. The future of the NGO — and patients’ representation in the EU’s law-making process — is at stake.

Director General Milka Sokolović told POLITICO that she refuted the claims against the organization "in the strongest possible terms" and an investigation appears to have given the NGO a clean bill of health.

But this year alone the NGO has lost all but two of its board members, its president, treasurer and 14 out of its 15 expert advisers.

As the crisis spiralled out of control, an external law firm was brought in to investigate the allegations of harassment and discrimination following which a senior boss — and husband of EPHA chief Sokolović — left his post without a public explanation. Some patient and public health groups that pay the NGO to advocate for them in Brussels, have criticized the probe for a lack of transparency, a charge rejected by the lawyers.

EPHA is the biggest NGO in Brussels representing groups that speak for patients with cancer, mental illness and infectious diseases, as well as doctors, pharmacists and nurses. It represents close to 70 member organizations in talks on EU policymaking at the highest level, from discussions about how to handle drug shortages, to mental health plans and pharmaceutical regulations.

The chaos at such a well-respected NGO has shocked the European health care sector. It puts at risk the united front in public health advocacy in Brussels, at a time when Europe has turned its attention away from the pandemic and health policy, making the fight to be heard harder for health groups.

“The negative impact on EPHA’s credibility is palpable, whether at meetings in Brussels, Copenhagen or Geneva,” said one person working in European health policy with deep knowledge of EPHA. Like many POLITICO spoke with for this article, the person was granted anonymity to speak candidly about sensitive matters.

“It is severely damaging the wider reputation of public health civil society too. Only urgent leadership change at EPHA can address this now,” the person claimed.

The anonymous letter

The trouble began in February, with a note sent by a group of ex-employees who said they were concerned about behavior within the organization which they considered to be “harassment, intimidation and bullying.”

“Continued harsh criticism and personal insults” had led to the creation of a “toxic and hostile work environment,” they wrote. The note alleged “double-standards in management and values” and a lack of transparency in decision-making.

At the heart of their complaint was a leadership structure dominated by a husband-and-wife team which, they alleged, had “no effective accountability,” and no real space for criticism, dissent, or grievances to be heard.

Milka Sokolović became director general of EPHA in 2021 after a 20-year career in science research, communications and stakeholder relations. Her husband, Aleksandar Sokolović joined the NGO soon after, initially as a consultant before becoming the head of organizational development.

Milka Sokolović told POLITICO that no evidence of discrimination or harassment was found as part of the external investigation into the claims.

"It is difficult to understand reopening of this discussion after the investigation has been finalised — and found no [proof] of the allegations — unless there is an interest in damaging EPHA, whatever the motivation might be thereof," she said in a LinkedIn exchange.

EPHA hired Belgian law firm Thales to look into the situation at a cost of at least €60,000, a figure that’s raised eyebrows among some of EPHA’s 67 organizations whose membership fees partly fund the NGO.

But the probe alone wasn’t enough to alleviate concerns, and in fact led to further tension.

Programs Director Denis Onyango stood down from the EPHA board during the probe, writing in a resignation letter seen by POLITICO that he didn’t trust Thales’ investigation, saying it wasn’t transparent and didn’t cover all of the concerns raised by ex-staffers.

He also criticized top managers remaining in post while the investigation went on.

Thales told POLITICO that it "strongly [denies]" those concerns adding that its employees "adhere to the highest ethical and professional standards."

That same week, two more board members stood down: Brian Ward (who declined to comment when POLITICO contacted him at the time), and Vice President Freek Spinnewijn, whose resignation email, seen by POLITICO, said it was “impossible to function as a board member whilst under a cloud of suspicion.”

Resignation rush

In early May, another board member, Nicolas Philippou resigned as a member of the board with immediate effect, an internal EPHA email confirmed.

The then-President Alice Chapman-Hatchett stepped down in February, citing private circumstances, while Treasurer Claudia Marinetti also left, telling POLITICO it was not related to the probe and that she had to “reprioritize [her] work.”

These departures have left the NGO with just two members of the board, now below the minimum of three required by Belgian legislation. But board members aren’t the only people to have left.

’Top notch’

Another flashpoint of tension for EPHA came in April with the release of an “accountability report,” one which listed the achievements of the NGO since Sokolović’s arrival. The report gave a positive picture, praising a “tightly knit, fit-for-purpose, functional team,” “watertight funding and governance,” and “top notch advocacy.”

The glowing language bemused some — one person working in the EU health sector described the tone as “like Christ had descended to EPHA.” But the timing infuriated several of EPHA’s membership organizations, given it was published on the day they were expecting to be briefed on the outcome of the Thales investigation.

Instead, they were told that only the three remaining board members at that time would have access to the lawyers’ report, and members were simply briefed that the probe had found no evidence of discrimination or harassment and that Milka Sokolović had the full backing of the board.

What is known is that the director general’s husband Aleksandar Sokolović — who had risen to become a director within the organization — left the NGO following the investigation.

No reason was given, angering members, some of whom then called for the director general to be fired.

In response, Milka Sokolović told POLITICO: "Based on the outcomes of the investigation, but also based on the work delivered so far, the Board confirmed its confidence in staff and myself as Director General, emphasising my ’important contributions to EPHA in recent years.’"

She also said that the accountability report did not “paint a rosy picture of a parallel universe.”

“They are facts that speak for the work that I and the team have done for this organisation so it can deliver on its mission,” Sokolović said. She said that by the end of 2023, the NGO had more than doubled its budget compared with 2020, mainly through European funding, and had the highest-ever number of grants and projects.

’Devastating damage’

EPHA told POLITICO in a statement: "The anonymous email has been taken extremely seriously by the EPHA Board and Secretariat, and an independent legal firm was commissioned by the Board to investigate its allegations in their entirety."

Only the three remaining board members at the time had seen the report, and they said that “no evidence was found of harassment, discrimination, or a breach of labour or other Belgian law in EPHA,” the NGO said.

"The fact that the letter’s allegations are found to be without evidence should bring closure to the discussion. EPHA should now be allowed to regroup its forces and recover from the devastating damage it has suffered in the last three months."

Philippou, one of the board members who resigned, told POLITICO in an email that a strong public health alliance is "essential for Europe, and EPHA has the potential to continue playing a leading role."

"I hope that events following my resignation, combined with a constructive annual general assembly (AGA, on June 6) that openly discusses all issues and elects a new board, will help rebuild trust among all stakeholders, including members, EPHA staff, and senior management. A new board with a clear mandate, elected at the upcoming AGA, will be crucial for EPHA’s future success,” he said.

Before the probe was shared with the board, EPHA informed POLITICO of a letter from current staff members to the board, which POLITICO obtained separately. It said: "We have witnessed our senior management realising astounding accomplishments over the past three years. We are very proud of the work they have done to bring changes to EPHA."

EPHA also has the renewed financial backing from the EU.

Around a quarter of its funding comes from an EU operating grant (which in 2022 was worth €555,000), and that has just been reconfirmed by the European Commission. In total, EPHA recorded a 2023 budget of €2.6 million.

Several member organizations are considering quitting the NGO, according to one person with knowledge of the meeting of the board and member organizations in April.

While that won’t make much of a financial dent (membership fees make up 3 percent of EPHA’s total income), there is a risk of reputational damage from this episode.

Sophia Martinez

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Patients, Horizon Europe, NGO, European Public Health Alliance (EPHA)