Monika Hohlmeier, a Member of the European Parliament from the CSU, is calling on EU member states to repay misused COVID-19 aid. Speaking to the “Welt,” Hohlmeier stated that the European Commission should demand the return of funds that were improperly utilized. She pointed out that if, for example, Spain temporarily diverted European grants intended for national pension systems, or if other countries paid interest on absorbed European debt, this amounted to “poor financial management.”
Several European governments reportedly used funds from the massive €800 billion recovery fund, which the EU established in 2021 to mitigate the economic and social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, for questionable projects. The European public prosecutor’s office is currently investigating hundreds of cases related to this issue.
According to Hohlmeier, this alleged misconduct is merely the tip of the iceberg concerning fraud, misuse, and corruption. As the deputy chair of the Parliament’s Budget Committee, she added that significant amounts of money were apparently initially directed toward entirely different goals than those legally stipulated. Some of the funds may have simply been absorbed by national budgets, in Hohlmeier’s view. She emphasized that in addition to the positive effects the COVID fund had on economic and social stability, there were mistakes that the EU must learn from.
