The European Parliament could today request the return of as much as 4.3 million euros (about 1.58 billion forints) from the parliamentary group Patriots for Europe (PfE), associated with the outgoing Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbándue to suspicion of improper spending of EU funds. This recommendation will be voted on on April 29 as part of the procedure for approving the EU budget for 2024, which is based on an audit by the European Court of Auditors, writes the Hungarian portal. Index.hu.
The disputed funds refer to the former group Identity and Democracy (ID), which was found to be during the 2019-2024 mandate. improperly spent more than 4.3 million euros. The audit showed a possible violation of public procurement rules and the allocation of money without a tender and to users who were not entitled to it. Part of the funds, intended for administrative and operational costs, allegedly ended up in the media and organizations connected to political actors, and more than 700,000 euros may have been illegally allocated to civil associations.
For this reason, the Committee on Budgetary Control of the European Parliament proposes that payments to the PfE be suspended and that, if legally possible, the funds be tried to be collected from this group as successors to the ID. The fact that membership and key functions overlap to a large extent, including the Secretary General, is cited as an argument Philip Claeyswho held the same position in the previous group.
The report also calls for urgent measures to protect the EU’s financial interests and Parliament’s reputation, including possible suspensions and financial reserves, noting that criminal proceedings should not be an excuse for inaction. In parallel, the case is already being investigated by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Patriots for Europe reject responsibility, claiming that it is a new legal entity that cannot be held responsible for the actions of the previous group. In an earlier statement, they called the investigation an “illegal political attack” and a “witch hunt” with the aim of silencing them.
Although the vote in the European Parliament represents an important step, it does not mean the end of the procedure, because the final decisions on sanctions and eventual refunds depend on further legal and administrative processes.
