Misuse of taxpayer money

Today, the Coordinators of the Budgetary Control (CONT) Committee of the European Parliament have met to discuss the misuse of public funds by the far-right “Patriots for Europe”. The Patriots Group has violated the rules of the European Parliament, which has been confirmed in a financial audit. The group must repay over €270,000 in misused funds from a six month period in 2024 alone. The Greens/EFA demand further sanctions, however, a majority of the EPP and right-wing Groups rejected meaningful consequences for the “Patriots”.

Daniel Freund MEP, Greens/EFA Group coordinator in the CONT Committee, comments:

“The Patriots are using Parliament funds as their personal piggy bank. They are paying for their past transgressions at the expense of the taxpayer. This is unacceptable, the Parliament must ensure that it protects taxpayers’ money from potential corruption.

“We need the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) to investigate exactly how the far-right Patriots used these public funds. Any improperly distributed money must be repaid. We need to ensure that the same individuals in the Patriots group, who misspent EU funds when they were in the ID Group, are not entrusted with managing EU funds.

“It is astonishing that the EPP and their far-right friends are shielding the Patriots from meaningful consequences.”