• Education
    • Higher Education
    • Scholarships & Grants
    • Online Learning
    • School Reforms
    • Research & Innovation
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Fashion & Beauty
    • Home & Living
    • Relationships & Family
  • Technology & Startups
    • Software & Apps
    • Startup Success Stories
    • Startups & Innovations
    • Tech Regulations
    • Venture Capital
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cybersecurity
    • Emerging Technologies
    • Gadgets & Devices
    • Industry Analysis
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
Today Headline
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
Today Headline
No Result
View All Result
Home World News Europe

Do EU structures enable far-right misuse of public money? – DW – 07/04/2025

July 4, 2025
in Europe
Reading Time: 5 mins read
A A
0
Do EU structures enable far-right misuse of public money? – DW – 07/04/2025
2
SHARES
4
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


From donations to dog shelters to questionable contracts with politically affiliated companies, far-right members of the European Parliament have been accused of funnelling public funds towards personal or ideological allies. 

An internal parliamentary audit obtained by a group of investigative journalists from German broadcaster ARD’s magazine show Kontraste, German newspaper Die Zeit, French newspaper Le Monde and Austrian media outlet, Falter, reveals that the now-defunct far-right Identity and Democracy group, commonly referred to as ID, may have spent at least €4.3 million ($5.1 million) in EU operating funds on what the European Parliament’s own administration calls “unjustified and potentially unlawful” transactions.

Every year the European Parliament allocates funds for the administrative and operational expenses of each political grouping in it, usually between €6 million to €7 million annually. Those funds are meant to support legislative work — such as funding policy research, running public events related to EU politics, or producing communications materials that explain their activities to citizens. Around 5% of this budget can be transferred to external organizations but donations to local charities, national campaign efforts, or groups with no clear link to EU-level work are explicitly prohibited. 

A deeper flaw in the EU

However the internal audit alleges that around 80 of the ID group’s expenses do not meet that requirement. The improper spending allegedly includes fictitious service contracts, improper tender procedures and donations to associations unrelated to parliamentary activities and connected to far-right figures, the investigating publications reported. The scale of the findings suggest that this was more than administrative sloppiness and raises deeper questions about how the EU’s own structures may be enabling such abuses.

European Union flags flutter outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels
An audit accuses far-right parties of improperly spending millions in EU funds Image: Yves Herman/REUTERS/REUTERS

What are the accusations?

As an example, the report says the ID group — which disbanded in the summer of 2024 but previously included Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National, or RN, Germany’s Alternative for Germany, or AfD, Italy’s Lega and Austria’s Freedom Party, or FPÖ — donated €1,000 ($1200) to the president of a French-Russian cultural association, Teremok. She is the spouse of Gregoire Eury, an RN councillor for the Grand Est region. This was just one of many connections between the associations that benefited from ID donations and far-right officials from ID-affiliated parties.

Other donations simply reflected the broader political affinities of ID elected officials. In Germany, SOS Leben (or “SOS Life,” in English), which is linked to the AfD, received €3,500 to support anti-abortion campaigns. In France, €1,000 went to the Catholic identitarian association SOS Calvaires to restore a parish. Around €600,000 reportedly landed with Zur Zeit, a far-right Austrian newspaper close to the FPÖ, with ID paying for advertising far above market rates. Money also went to animal shelters and charities — not necessarily a bad thing, but also not acceptable under EU rules.

Marine Le Pen in her office in Paris
Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National was part of the ID groupImage: Olivier Corsan/Le Parisien/IMAGO

French companies close to Marine Le Pen were among the biggest beneficiaries: Two firms tied to her longtime political allies reportedly received more than €3 million in total. One of them has previously been implicated in another EU funding scandal.

A fabricated rule

The former secretary general of now defunct ID group, Philip Claeys, denied any wrongdoing and told the investigating journalists that all the payments were “duly invoiced and justified.” Claeys said that an external auditor and then the European Parliament had approved the ID group’s yearly financial statements.

Donations by the group were apparently based on a rule called “Article 68.” Only thing is, the investigative journalists found, there’s no such thing as “Article 68.” Yet it appeared in multiple years of published accounts without triggering alarms. When contacted, the Belgian auditors responsible declined to comment.

“This is not an isolated incident,” Nick Aiossa, director at Transparency International EU, told DW. “This seems to be a scheme that that ran over many years, involved many entities cross-border.” Without the proper checks in place, he adds, this could easily happen again today.

 Pier Antonio Panzeri leaves prison
Former MEP Antonio Panzeri was part of the 2023 corruption scandal also known as QatargateImage: Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP

A history of looking the other way?

It is true that this is far from the first time that European MEPs have been caught misusing EU money. In March, Marine Le Pen was sentenced in France to four years probation and banned from holding political office after being found guilty of embezzling European parliamentary funds through a fake jobs scam. She has appealed the ruling.

And it’s not only the far right. Past scandals have implicated politicians across the spectrum. The so-called Qatargate scandal in 2023 exposed bribery and cash-for-influence schemes involving current and former MEPs.

And in 2018, investigative journalists went to court seeking further information on what’s known as “general expenditure allowance,” or GEA, an amount paid monthly to MEPs for expenses like running an office and travel. MEPs get over €4,000 a month in GEA — this adds up to over €40 million a year — but don’t have to provide information on how they’ve spent it. At the time, investigative journalists found over 200 of what they called “ghost offices.” A court denied the journalists the information and the lack of transparency and accountability around the GEAs has remained a sore point.

Eva Kaili at the European Parliament
Former MEP and vice president of the European Parliament Eva Kaili was also involved in QatargateImage: Eric Vidal/AFP

No reform in sight?

Despite repeated scandals, the European Parliament has failed to implement meaningful reforms, Aiossa says. He argues that the institution has done itself lasting damage — first by refusing to respond decisively when issues arose, and then by continuing to tolerate weak accountability and integrity systems. The result, he warns, is a steady erosion of public trust.

At the core of the problem lies the structure of parliamentary finances, according to Aiossa. Instead of managing budgets directly, the European Parliament delegates this responsibility to the political groups themselves. Groups are required to conduct annual audits but those are done according to random sampling, which means misuse of funds may not be detected.

MEP Niclas Herbst
CDU MEP Niclas Herbst, who chairs the Parliament’s budget control committee, wants to involve the EPPOImage: Frank Peter/IMAGO

This means that the responsibility of how party group money is spent lies primarily with its party leadership, particularly its financial officers and secretary general. This, according to Aiossa, has to change. “The parliament needs to take a much more proactive approach in managing this money itself and not delegating that responsibility just to the political groups.”

German MEP Niclas Herbst, a member of the conservative Christian Democrats, who chairs the Parliament’s committee on budgetary control, agrees.  “This is taxpayers money and we want it back,” he told journalists. He plans to push for criminal charges on this latest case at the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), to show that there must be accountability.

Aiossa warns that unless the European Parliament seizes this moment to enact serious reforms, including transparency on allowances, competitive bidding for contracts and direct control over group budgets, public trust in the body will only continue to erode.



Source link

Previous Post

Rwanda president unsure if DRC peace deal will hold, warns against ‘tricks’

Next Post

Former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey charged with five counts of rape, British police say

Related Posts

Leaders meet for first-ever EU-Moldova summit – DW – 07/04/2025

Leaders meet for first-ever EU-Moldova summit – DW – 07/04/2025

July 4, 2025
5
Discrimination and hope drive LGBTQ+ soldiers – DW – 07/04/2025

Discrimination and hope drive LGBTQ+ soldiers – DW – 07/04/2025

July 4, 2025
4
Next Post
Former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey charged with five counts of rape, British police say

Former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey charged with five counts of rape, British police say

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

April 2, 2025
Pioneering 3D printing project shares successes

Product reduces TPH levels to non-hazardous status

November 27, 2024

Hospital Mergers Fail to Deliver Better Care or Lower Costs, Study Finds todayheadline

December 31, 2024

Police ID man who died after Corso Italia fight

December 23, 2024
Harris tells supporters 'never give up' and urges peaceful transfer of power

Harris tells supporters ‘never give up’ and urges peaceful transfer of power

0
Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend's Mother

Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend’s Mother

0

Trump ‘looks forward’ to White House meeting with Biden

0
Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

0
Mass. judge denies eight migrants' request to halt South Sudan deportation

Mass. judge denies eight migrants’ request to halt South Sudan deportation

July 4, 2025
Can India block China’s leadership in Global South-based alliances like the SCO?

Can India block China’s leadership in Global South-based alliances like the SCO?

July 4, 2025
Trump claims victory as he signs controversial budget and tax bill into law

Trump claims victory as he signs controversial budget and tax bill into law

July 4, 2025

Feds could deal with Trudeau-era climate policies ‘over time’: Hodgson

July 4, 2025

Recent News

Mass. judge denies eight migrants' request to halt South Sudan deportation

Mass. judge denies eight migrants’ request to halt South Sudan deportation

July 4, 2025
0
Can India block China’s leadership in Global South-based alliances like the SCO?

Can India block China’s leadership in Global South-based alliances like the SCO?

July 4, 2025
3
Trump claims victory as he signs controversial budget and tax bill into law

Trump claims victory as he signs controversial budget and tax bill into law

July 4, 2025
4

Feds could deal with Trudeau-era climate policies ‘over time’: Hodgson

July 4, 2025
2

TodayHeadline is a dynamic news website dedicated to delivering up-to-date and comprehensive news coverage from around the globe.

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Basketball
  • Business & Finance
  • Climate Change
  • Crime & Justice
  • Cybersecurity
  • Economic Policies
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Environmental Policies
  • Europe
  • Football
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Health
  • Medical Research
  • Mental Health
  • Middle East
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Politics
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Science & Environment
  • Software & Apps
  • Space Exploration
  • Sports
  • Stock Market
  • Technology & Startups
  • Tennis
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Us & Canada
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • World News

Recent News

Mass. judge denies eight migrants' request to halt South Sudan deportation

Mass. judge denies eight migrants’ request to halt South Sudan deportation

July 4, 2025
Can India block China’s leadership in Global South-based alliances like the SCO?

Can India block China’s leadership in Global South-based alliances like the SCO?

July 4, 2025
  • Education
  • Lifestyle
  • Technology & Startups
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy

© 2024 Todayheadline.co

Welcome Back!

OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Business & Finance
  • Corporate News
  • Economic Policies
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Market Trends
  • Crime & Justice
  • Court Cases
  • Criminal Investigations
  • Cybercrime
  • Legal Reforms
  • Policing
  • Education
  • Higher Education
  • Online Learning
  • Entertainment
  • Awards & Festivals
  • Celebrity News
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Health
  • Fitness & Nutrition
  • Medical Breakthroughs
  • Mental Health
  • Pandemic Updates
  • Lifestyle
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Food & Drink
  • Home & Living
  • Politics
  • Elections
  • Government Policies
  • International Relations
  • Legislative News
  • Political Parties
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Middle East
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Cybersecurity
  • Emerging Technologies
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Industry Analysis
  • Basketball
  • Football
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Climate Change
  • Environmental Policies
  • Medical Research
  • Science & Environment
  • Space Exploration
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • Sports
  • Tennis
  • Technology & Startups
  • Software & Apps
  • Startup Success Stories
  • Startups & Innovations
  • Tech Regulations
  • Venture Capital
  • Uncategorized
  • World News
  • Us & Canada
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Travel
  • Research & Innovation
  • Scholarships & Grants
  • School Reforms
  • Stock Market
  • TV & Streaming
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
  • About us
  • Contact

© 2024 Todayheadline.co