Parliamentary question - E-000554/2024(ASW)Parliamentary question
E-000554/2024(ASW)
European Parliament

Answer given by Mr Hahn on behalf of the European Commission

16.5.2024

Written question

The Commission is not aware of any EU funding being assigned to organisations that promote far-right and neo-Nazi propaganda.

The Commission ensures that beneficiaries of EU funding respect EU values in the implementation of such funding. Neo-Nazi propaganda is not compatible with EU values.

If there is evidence that an entity receiving EU funds breaches the applicable rules, the Commission shall take appropriate measures, including contract termination and recoveries, to protect the integrity and proper use of EU funds.

For additional clarity, the Financial Regulation recast[1] (on which the co-legislators found provisional agreement in December 2023) includes an explicit reference for the Commission and Member States to ensure compliance with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union[2] and the EU values enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union[3] relevant in the implementation of the EU budget.

In addition, under certain conditions, in addition to contractual measures, the Commission can launch the procedure on early detection and/or exclusion of the entity from EU funding implemented in direct or indirect management and its registration in the Early Detection and Exclusion System[4] (EDES).

The Financial Regulation recast explicitly envisages to apply EDES also for incitement to discrimination, hatred or violence against a group of persons or a member of a group or similar activities that are contrary to the EU values, where such misconducts have an impact on the concerned person or entity’s integrity negatively affects or concretely risks affecting the performance of legal commitments.

The Conditionality Regulation[5] protects the EU budget from breaches of the principles of the rule of law in the Member States. These principles are narrower than the entire set of founding values of the EU and for the Conditionality Regulation to apply, the breaches must be linked to the implementation of the EU budget.

As a further condition, the Commission can initiate a procedure under the Conditionality Regulation only if other instruments existing under EU law cannot protect the EU budget more effectively. The Commission will not hesitate to apply the Conditionality Regulation if all its conditions are met.

Last updated: 17 May 2024
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