European prosecutors searched European Parliament premises in France and Belgium on Oct. 21 in an investigation into EU funds used by a former group, while a separate review identified at least €4.33 million in unduly spent appropriations.
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) confirmed the searches in an email response quoted by Reuters. It described an investigation into a former parliamentary group but did not name it or specify which offices were searched.
Patriots for Europe (PfE) said the searches took place at administrative offices in Brussels and Strasbourg and appeared connected to a complaint against Identity and Democracy (ID), which dissolved in 2024. PfE said it had no legal continuity with ID and was not involved in the investigation. The European Parliament told Euronews the searches were linked to ID; the EPPO did not identify the group in its confirmation.
The Parliament’s Directorate-General for Finance (DG FINS) found that at least €4,333,635.78 in budget item 400 appropriations was unduly spent by ID during the 2019-2024 parliamentary term, according to an opinion endorsed by the Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control on Sept. 4, 2025. The review examined high-risk contracts and donations. The opinion recorded DG FINS’ assessment that the amount exposed Parliament to significant financial risk.
The committee recommended that Parliament’s Bureau explore recovery and assess whether a successor entity could be pursued. It cited shared senior staff, a substantial majority of former ID members in PfE, preliminary information about PfE’s use of ID-funded assets and the short interval between ID’s dissolution and PfE’s formation. These factors supported further assessment, but did not establish PfE’s liability or order repayment.
The opinion also cited earlier European court rulings, including ETI, Skanska and MENL v Parliament, as precedents for considering economic continuity. It did not apply those rulings to determine PfE’s liability in this case.
On April 30, 2026, Parliament called on its administration to complete outstanding recovery proceedings without delay. The resolution set no deadline and did not say PfE must repay the full amount. The EPPO investigation and Parliament’s recovery proceedings remain ongoing, with no next decision date specified in the records reviewed.
