The Patriots for Europe face an investigation and possible sanctions for the alleged misuse of €4.3 million in EU funds. As discussed earlier by the Hungarian Conservative, the Identity and Democracy (ID) group is accused of allegedly misusing €4.3 million worth of EU funds between 2019 and 2024.
As the ID group dissolved after the EP elections in 2024, the European Parliament’s responsible committee is now looking for ways to hold the Patriots for Europe (PfE) accountable. The committee argues that there is an ‘economic continuity’ between the ID and PfE, as the PfE includes some of the former members of the ID. The PfE, on the other hand, maintains that it is independent from the ID group and that only 21 of its 85 MEPs were previously members of the now-dissolved right-wing group. If sanctioned for the ID’s alleged misuse of funds, the Patriots could be deprived of considerable resources as punishment.
The Patriots for Europe’s ability to defend their position in the European Parliament is severely hindered by the discriminatory double standards they face in Brussels. The leadership of the parliamentary committee that argued for the existence of a ‘continuity’ between the two right-wing groups consists solely of the Patriots’ political adversaries. The Chair of the Committee on Budgetary Control, Niclas Herbst—who claimed that the Patriots can be held responsible for the alleged wrongdoing of the ID—is, for instance, a member of the European People’s Party.
As a new development in the case, on 10 September, when the Patriots officially filed a motion of censure against Ursula von der Leyen and the European Commission, the Court of Justice of the European Union issued a decision that may pave the way for formally linking the ID to the Patriots.
The court case in which the Tribunal reached a decision last week dates back to 2023, when the Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations (APPF)—the body responsible for registering, monitoring, and sanctioning European political parties—imposed a €47,000 fine (5 per cent of the party’s annual budget) on the Identity and Democracy (ID) party. The fine, which was the first ever issued by the Authority, penalized the ID for allegedly misinforming the public about its leadership. While the ID did formally notify the APPF of a change in its leadership, it failed to update its website or social media posts to reflect the new board membership.
According to Politico, the APPF’s decision to fine the party for providing ‘incorrect’ information laid the groundwork for a later decision by the European Parliament, which deprived the ID of access to €4 million in funding in 2023. Had the party’s access to these funds not been cut off, the money could have been carried over into 2024—meaning it could have been used during the European Parliament election campaign, much like other European parties that utilized the remainder of their 2023 budgets for campaigning in the following year.
Last Wednesday, however, the Tribunal (T‑1189/23) annulled the APPF’s 2023 decision to sanction the ID party. While on the surface this appears to be a legal victory for right-wing forces in the European Parliament, it could easily be argued that it is not. The ruling consistently refers to the ‘Patriots, formerly ID’, which may pave the way for linking not only the party, but also the ID group, to the Patriots group—thereby holding the Patriots accountable for the alleged misuse of €4.3 million in funds.
‘The legal battles…right-wing parties are fighting in the European arena draw attention to the blatant double standards they face’
The legal battles these right-wing parties are fighting in the European arena draw attention to the blatant double standards they face. Arguably, the independence and impartiality of the Director of the APPF Authority, who initially sanctioned the ID back in 2023, are not ensured. Director Pascal Schonard of the APPF was formerly a member of Klaus Welle’s cabinet. For almost a decade, Klaus Welle was Secretary-General of the European People’s Party and the EPP–ED group in the EP. As Secretary-General of the European Parliament, Klaus Welle had a vote in the election of the Director of the APPF—a position to which his then subordinate, Pascal Schonard, aspired and—at least in part thanks to his boss’ vote—successfully obtained. Currently, Klaus Welle is the Chair of the Martens Centre’s Academic Council — the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies is the political foundation of the EPP, registered and overseen by the APPF, whose director is the former subordinate of Klaus Welle. In short, the closeness of the EPP, a political adversary of the Patriots, to the APPF Director casts doubt on the Director’s impartiality—see the Nézőpont Institute’s Report on the Rule of Law Situation in the Institutions of the EU for more.
Doubts have been raised about the impartiality of other APPF officials, too. Head of the Director’s Cabinet office at APPF Stephanie Kaiser liked a social media post in which a journalist at the Süddeutsche Zeitung claimed: ‘Anyone voting for the AfD [Alternative for Germany party] is giving a mandate to people who want to abolish democracy and plan deportations.’ It can reasonably be argued that the official’s political commitment, as expressed by the post she liked, raises questions about whether her impartiality can be trusted. The lack of impartiality of both the APPF and the relevant EP committees that can push for sanctions against right-wing political forces in the European Parliament demonstrates the double standards these parties are facing in the Brussels bubble.
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