European Parliament accuses Patriots for Europe of unlawful use of funds

Brussels, 24 June 2026

The administration of the European Parliament accuses the right-wing Patriots for Europe (PfE) group of having unlawfully used approximately 277,000 euros of EU funds in the second half of 2024, including through flawed procurement procedures and donations to ineligible organizations.

Background of the allegations

The allegations are based on an internal audit by Parliament's administration, which is available to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa). According to the audit, the group violated rules on donations and procurement procedures by providing funds, among others, to an association for the promotion of futsal (indoor football) in Martinique and a quad association in Guadeloupe. An organization promoting Flemish student traditions is also among the recipients. According to the documents, these recipient organizations had nothing to do with the political activities or information work of the PfE in relation to EU policy.

In total, according to the audit, it concerns approximately 277,000 euros that were disbursed in the second half of 2024. Around 197,300 euros of this amount is attributable to three flawed procurement procedures by the French delegation within the group. The contracts in these three tenders had been awarded to five companies that are financially, politically, or personally linked to the French Rassemblement National (RN). A further approximately 54,600 euros, booked as donations, went to organizations that did not meet the criteria for funding by groups of the European Parliament.

Composition of the group

The Patriots for Europe are currently the third-largest group in the European Parliament with 85 members. The group is led by Frenchman Jordan Bardella, who is considered a political protégé of Marine Le Pen. In addition to the RN, Hungary's Fidesz party and the Austrian FPÖ also belong to the PfE. Some of these parties were previously represented in the now-dissolved right-wing nationalist group Identity and Democracy (ID). The former Secretary General of the ID group, Philip Claeys, now holds the same position in the PfE.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office is already investigating the former ID group for possible misuse of EU funds during the previous legislative term. According to a report by Parliament's administration, the ID investigation concerns approximately 4.3 million euros. The Budgetary Control Committee of the European Parliament must now decide on a response to the PfE allegations, possibly as early as Wednesday.

Demands for clarification

Daniel Freund, a member of the European Parliament for the Greens and a member of the Budgetary Control Committee, said: "Die Verstöße seien kein Versehen, sagte dazu der Grünen-Europaabgeordnete Daniel Freund, der Mitglied im Haushaltskontrollausschuss ist. Freund also demanded that the European Public Prosecutor's Office must investigate what happened to the money. In his view, mere repayment is not sufficient. His demand: "Diese Kultur des Betrugs muss ein Ende haben. Es müsse wirksame Sanktionen gegen die Verantwortlichen geben.

According to the documents, the PfE has already made provisions for the disputed expenditures in its 2025 financial report, thus enabling a repayment of the funds. The group pointed out in a statement on the online platform X that the procedure is still ongoing and firmly rejected "jegliche voreiligen Schlussfolgerungen". It has always cooperated and provided all requested documents. In the PfE's view, its group is also subject to stricter scrutiny than other groups.

The total expenditure of the PfE in the period in question amounted to approximately two million euros. This means the disputed items account for about 14 percent of the expenditure at that time. The case is part of a series of disputes over the use of funds by European Parliament groups, which recently also affected the predecessor group ID.

Sensitivity for Bardella and Le Pen

Jordan Bardella is considered a potential candidate for the French presidential election should Marine Le Pen be barred from running following a conviction. The allegations against the PfE therefore come at a politically sensitive phase, in which Bardella's national and European responsibilities are subject to increased public scrutiny.

The PfE was originally unavailable for comment on the identified violations. It was only after the publication of the reports that the group commented via the short message service X and referred to the ongoing proceedings. Parliament's administration emphasized that the review is not yet complete and that further steps depend on the vote of the Budgetary Control Committee.

Should the committee give the green light for a reclaim on Wednesday, this would be a further step in a chain of measures with which the European Parliament is responding to allegations against right-wing groups. Observers see the move as a signal that the control of the use of public funds is to be handled consistently, including within right-wing groups.

Based on the audit results, the European Public Prosecutor's Office could initiate its own investigations, similar to what it has already done in the case of the ID group. If the suspicion of unlawful use of funds is substantiated, the PfE faces not only repayment but also financial sanctions and reputational damage.

Possible consequences for the group

The Patriots for Europe group was only founded in 2024 as the successor to the ID group. In addition to the RN, Fidesz, and the FPÖ, members include other right-wing populist and national-conservative parties from several EU states. The founding was presented at the time as an attempt to more strongly unite the right-wing forces in the EU Parliament and jointly set political accents.

The incidents cast a spotlight on the question of how the European Parliament controls the use of its funds by groups. The administration has repeatedly called for reforms in the past to make procurement procedures more transparent and to make it more difficult to circumvent funding rules.

For Daniel Freund, clarification remains central. He emphasized that the violations were not a mistake and called for consistent action. The upcoming vote in the Budgetary Control Committee will show whether the parliamentary majority follows this line and what concrete sanctions could be imposed on the PfE.