European Public Prosecutor's Office searches premises linked to former ID faction in EU funds probe

According to a report by auditors from the parliamentary administrations, members of the ID faction allegedly misused at least 4.3 million euros in EU funds during the last legislative period: "Laut einem Bericht von Prüfern der Parlamentsverwaltungen sollen Mitglieder der ID-Fraktion in der vergangenen Legislaturperiode mindestens 4,3 Millionen Euro aus EU-Mitteln nicht korrekt eingesetzt haben." The auditors found that the funds flowed in part to firms in the faction's environment and to associations that support abortion opponents.

Auditors' findings and the ID faction

The right-nationalist Identity and Democracy faction existed in the European Parliament from 2019 to 2024. Its members included the French Rassemblement National (RN), the German AfD, the Austrian FPÖ and the Italian Lega. The EPPO did not publicly confirm which former faction was under investigation, but the descriptions from the spokesperson and from the RN itself pointed to the ID grouping.

Jordan Bardella, president of the Rassemblement National, announced on the platform X that searches had been under way since early morning at the business premises and private homes of communications service providers that had worked with the RN: "Seit heute früh finden Durchsuchungen in den Geschäftsräumen und Privatwohnungen von Kommunikationsdienstleistern statt, die mit uns zusammengearbeitet haben." He rejected any wrongdoing: "Man habe sich nichts vorzuwerfen und werde das beweisen."

Bardella rejects allegations

The French newspaper Le Monde reported that searches were carried out in France, Belgium, Italy and Spain in connection with the EPPO investigation into the possible misuse of EU funds by the former ID faction. The EPPO spokesperson declined to specify the countries involved, citing the need to protect the ongoing procedure.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office is the independent body responsible for investigating, prosecuting and bringing charges in criminal offences against the financial interests of the EU. Its intervention marks an escalation of a case that had previously been handled within the European Parliament's own administration.

Parliament pushes for faster action

In April, a majority of MEPs in the European Parliament voted to push for faster consequences in the case. A motion adopted by the plenary provides that the Parliament administration should demand reimbursement of reimbursable expenses immediately if possible, rather than waiting for the outcome of the EPPO investigation.

The Parliament administration had previously wanted to wait for the EPPO proceedings to conclude before pursuing recovery of the funds. The plenary vote in April reflected growing impatience among MEPs over the pace of the response to the auditors' findings. The new searches suggest that the criminal investigation is now advancing in parallel with the Parliament's own administrative efforts.

Bardella's reaction on X framed the searches as targeting communications contractors rather than party staff directly. The EPPO has not publicly identified any individual suspects, and its spokesperson declined to comment on Bardella's account. The investigation remains active in several EU member states, and further measures have not been ruled out.