Setback for Vox in Brussels: its ultra group, Patriots, will have to return 276,000 euros for misuse of European funds

The ultra group Patriots for Europe, which Vox is part of in the European Parliament, will have to return 276,967 euros of community funds improperly used during the second half of 2024. The claim comes after an internal audit by the European Parliament, advanced by Politico, which detects improper donations, breaches of public procurement, and awards with irregular procedures. The money will be recovered from the funds allocated to the group for 2025.

The irregularities portray the use of European public money by a group that brings together formations such as the French Rassemblement National, Fidesz, the Austrian FPÖ, and Vox. According to the audit, Patriots allocated 54,620 euros to local and regional organizations, something prohibited by European Parliament rules when the expenditure is not linked to community political activity. Among the beneficiaries are sports entities in Martinique and Guadeloupe, French and Flemish cultural associations, and even an Italian group dedicated to promoting the Fiat Panda.

The report also points to three contracts irregularly awarded for 197,258 euros, with special attention to the 146,444 euros granted to e-Politic, a communication company linked for years to Marine Le Pen's party circle. Added to this are 25,200 euros spent on advertising in a political magazine run by a former FPÖ member, a payment that the Parliament considers a disguised subsidy.

The blow does not end there. Patriots has another pending investigation inherited from Identity and Democracy, the ultra group of the previous legislature, for a possible irregular use of 4.3 million euros between 2019 and 2024. Its current leaders deny legal continuity between both structures, although many of the parties are repeated. Green MEP Daniel Freund, a member of the budgetary control committee, has asked the European Public Prosecutor's Office to intervene: "This is not a mistake, it is a practice of years."