Scandal in the EP: Far-right group accused of embezzling 4.3 million euros

The far-right political group "Identity and Democracy" (ID), which was succeeded by the new group "Patriots for Europe" in 2024, has been placed at the center of an investigation for misuse of European Union funds.

According to a joint investigation by the newspapers Le Monde, Die Zeit, Falter and the television program Kontraste, at least 4.33 million euros are suspected of being spent irregularly.

A confidential report by the European Parliament's Directorate-General for Finance questions the granting of over 700,000 euros to non-profit organizations, some of which have close ties to national parties that were part of the ID group. In addition, around 3.6 million euros were spent on contracts with four external companies, mainly in the field of communications.

Among them are Unanime and e-Epolitic, two companies that have traditionally worked with Marine Le Pen's Rassemblement National. The other two companies are linked to a local representative of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the Austrian FPÖ party.

The legal problem is that the “Identity and Democracy” group has officially disbanded, while almost all the parties that made it up are now part of the new “Patriots for Europe” group. Despite the name change, the organizational structures and key people, including the Belgian secretary general Philip Claeys, have remained the same.

The investigation places the European Parliament face a legal dilemma: how to address abuses when the entity that benefited from the funds no longer formally exists, but essentially operates with the same structures.

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