A recent Politico article alleges that the Patriots for Europe might be ordered to repay 276,967 EUR in EU funds, which the group has allegedly ‘misspent’ in 2024. The EP claims that the group made improper donations and violated public procurement rules. The leaked information suggests that the money could be recovered from the Patriots’ 2025 budget.
It is the group’s French member, the National Rally, that came under the most intense fire for the supposedly irregular contracts. The disputed money could have been used to support local organizations that maintain French and Flemish traditions, while sport organizations in Guadeloupe, too (an overseas region of the French Republic in the Caribbean), might have received funds from the Patriots. According to EU rules, funds must be spent on activities relating to EU affairs; domestic political goals are not allowed to be financed from the EU budget. Beyond these, the leaked information also alleges that the Patriots breached public procurement procedures, as the group signed contracts with, for example, e-Politic, a company led by a former official of the National Rally.
In response to the allegation in a press release, the Patriots for Europe highlighted the unprecedented nature of the procedure that the Directorate-General for Finance (DG FINS) now uses to recover funds from the group. ‘Our political group is subject to stricter scrutiny and controls than the other groups,‘ claimed the official statement. The group stressed that it has cooperated with the investigation in good faith and that it is not yet concluded. It strongly rejects any premature conclusions based on leaked interim information. In its release, it said that no allegations of ‘fraud’ were made in the original report, as suggested by the media or ‘political opponents’.
‘Our political group is subject to stricter scrutiny and controls than the other groups‘
The current accusations follow an investigation initiated by the European Parliament’s Budgetary Control Committee against the right-wing group, after allegations of earlier mismanagement surfaced. The group might also be found liable for 4.3 million EUR allegedly misused by the now-defunct Identity and Democracy (ID) group. ID existed during the 2019–2024 parliamentary term but was dissolved after the 2024 European Parliament elections.
While there is some overlap between the memberships of ID and the Patriots, the latter denies being a continuation of the former. The French National Rally was a member of ID, but for instance, Hungary’s Fidesz never belonged there. In total, only 21 of the Patriots’ 85 MEPs belonged to the now-dissolved group. Because the two groups are separate, the Patriots argue that they should not be held liable for the ID’s alleged misuse of funds and are refusing to repay the 4 million EUR.
In parallel with the EU proceedings initiated against the right-wing group, partially EU-funded NGOs, such as Transparency International, are also weighing in against the Patriots. Transparency International is urging the EU to open an investigation into ID’s former Secretary-General, Philip Claeys (who now holds the same position at the Patriots), over the reported misspending of 4 million EUR. TI submitted its complaint to OLAF, the EU’s anti-fraud office, earlier this year. ‘All payments made in the last five years have been duly invoiced, justified and controlled,’ said Philip Claeys to Le Monde.
Beyond these allegations directed against the (dissolved) ID and Patriots groups, there are two more investigations targeting France’s National Rally. The four investigations in total stress that the group and its member parties might be facing politically motivated inquiries and double standards. About a year ago, National Rally’s leader, Marine Le Pen, was found to have violated the EU’s rules on parliamentary assistants and was therefore barred from running for office in 2027. Albeit Le Pen’s appeal is ongoing and her way to candidacy may still be cleared, RN did start to position Jordan Bardella as its possible candidate for next year’s presidential election.
‘The four investigations in total stress that the group and its member parties might be facing politically motivated inquiries and double standards’
As soon as RN began building Bardella’s political profile, prosecutors turned against him, too. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office opened a fraud investigation against RN’s use of EU funds in May 2026. Investigators claim the party wrongly used the money when paying for the young politician’s media training in the run-up to the 2022 French presidential elections. Allegedly, he was trained on domestic rather than EU matters. The French party maintains that the service was used ‘in accordance with the rules of the European Parliament, approved by the services of the European Parliament’.
The extent and number of investigations initiated against the (dissolved) ID and the Patriots, in which RN used to have or has a membership, suggest strong political motivations behind attempts to discredit RN ahead of the 2027 French Presidential election.
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