The poverty of the citizens, the opulence of the politicians. A party of billions in closed rooms, without light and without accountability.
Scandals, suitcases of cash, NGOs sucking up billions behind closed doors and a European Union that increasingly resembles a voracious, corrupt monster with no control and no accountability. This is the grim picture that unfolds before us, as the recent report by the European Court of Auditors reveals how billions of European taxpayers are disappearing into a thick veil of opacity, with the only beneficiaries being a narrow circle of “elite” and suspicious organizations!
The infamous Qatargate, starring former MEP Eva Kaili, who was caught with suitcases full of hundreds of thousands of euros, is only the tip of the iceberg. Over 150,000 euros in cash were found in her home, revealing the deep morass of corruption that is ravaging the Union’s institutions.
7.4 billion euros – and no one knows where it’s going!
In the period 2021-2023 alone, the EU distributed 7.4 billion euros to Non-Governmental Organizations operating within it. It sounds nice until one realizes that over 3.3 billion euros (!) ended up in just 30 organizations. Who are they? What work do they produce? Where and how is this money spent? No answer. Absolute darkness. The EU’s famous Financial Transfer System is supposed to guarantee transparency. In practice, however, everything is based on the self-declarations of the recipients themselves.
NGOs describe themselves what they do, without any meaningful external control! Neither ties to state agencies, nor business interests, nor foreign governments are investigated. A party of billions in closed rooms, without light and without accountability.
Democratic deficit, bureaucracy-monster
Corruption in the EU is not just a matter of a few sworn enemies. It is systemic. The architecture of the Union – with overlapping Commissions, Councils and Parliaments – makes it almost impossible to hold individuals accountable.
Citizens do not even directly elect the European Commission, while Commissioners are appointed bureaucrats accountable only to themselves. On paper, NGOs are supposed to uphold the notorious “EU values”.
In reality, a standard questionnaire is enough to receive millions, without any substantive verification. Thus, European subsidies finance lobbies, narrow political interests or even external influences, leaving citizens in the dark.
While ghost NGOs swim in the European billions, EU citizens see their living standards collapse.
Precision, energy crisis, taxes – and behind all this, a Europe that, instead of defending its values, looks more and more like a system of redistributing money to whoever knows how to “play the game”.
Until there is real independent supervision, until funding is scrutinised inch by inch, any talk of “European Union values” is just rhetoric and hypocrisy. And until this grim reality changes, the people of Europe will continue to get poorer… so that a few and a select few can get richer.
The EU today is not the Europe of citizens. It is the Europe of corruption. And silence is complicity.
Proposal for a budget of 1.816 trillion euros
It is recalled that the European Commission presented its proposal for the EU budget for the next seven years, which amounts to 1.816 trillion euros. EUR, an amount that will be discussed and negotiated with member states and the European Parliament over the next two years.
Although final decisions are expected to be taken after intense negotiations, this proposal marks an increase in the EU’s financial power compared to the current budget, which covers the period 2021-2027.
The proposed budget will reach 1.26% of the EU’s Gross National Income (GNI), while the current budget amounts to around 1.1% of GNI. The Commission’s proposal, presented by President Ursula von der Leyen, marks an increase in EU spending, amid internal negotiations and tensions, as several countries may oppose this increase.
The Commission argues that the total budget will ultimately amount to 2 trillion. euros, due to the calculation of inflation expected in the coming years, as well as payments on debts created due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, Siegfried Mureșan, budget negotiator for the European People’s Party, described this method as “misleading”, a view echoed by many MEPs.
These reactions reveal the difficult path the proposal has to take before reaching a final agreement. Negotiations are expected to be fierce and likely to pit member states against each other, who may seek lower spending or demand different priorities than those proposed by the Commission.
