Controversy Surrounding Misuse of EU Funds by Far-Right Group
The far-right Identity and Democracy (ID) group in the European Parliament may have misappropriated over 4 million EUR during the last legislative term, according to a confidential report revealed by Le Monde, Die Zeit, and Falter. Central to this controversy is the French Rassemblement National, led by Marine Le Pen, with evidence of Flemish connections also emerging, reports 24brussels.
Media reports indicate that approximately 4.3 million EUR in group funds were potentially misused. Significant amounts were directed towards two companies closely linked to Frédéric Chatillon, a former advisor to Le Pen, and his wife. Notably, the communications firm e-Politic received 1.7 million EUR through a public tender that allegedly displayed “serious conformity problems.” Chatillon holds a minority stake in the firm.
Additionally, another company, Unanime, operated by Chatillon’s wife, obtained over 1.4 million EUR for print services. The report highlighted that Unanime subcontracted part of the services to a third party for 260,000 EUR less, raising further questions about the financial management.
The report also details donations totaling 700,000 EUR to various associations whose activities appear unrelated to the responsibilities of the European Parliament. Projects financed included sterilization programs for stray cats and restoration of a parish church, often linked to individual ID MEPs or their constituencies.
These allegations surface merely months after a French court found Le Pen and 20 other Rassemblement National officials guilty of embezzling EU funds intended for parliamentary assistants. The party was also convicted. On Thursday, Le Pen stated in an RTL France interview that she is “not aware of the new accusations.”
Flemish Student Group Allegedly Received Funds
Belgian weekly Knack reported that the Flemish nationalist student organization KVHV has been implicated in the report, having reportedly received 30,140 EUR — a significant amount for a student group. Remarkably, KVHV Ghent, the non-profit organization, was registered at the personal residence of Vlaams Belang MEP Tom Vandendriessche until last year, where he serves as the chairman of the board.
Vlaams Belang, which participated in the ID group during the preceding legislature, has responded to the allegations. Former MEP Philip Claeys, who acted as ID’s faction secretary from 2019 to 2024, denied any misconduct, stating, “All payments from the past five years have been properly invoiced, justified and checked,” he told Le Monde.
The European Parliament has not issued an official statement on the leaked report; however, the findings are likely to prompt renewed scrutiny regarding the management of EU party funds and the utilization of those funds by national parties and their affiliated organizations, including those based in Flanders.
