Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001982/2024
to the Commission
Rule 144
Mathilde Androuët (PfE)
The European Court of Auditors’ latest report lambasts the balance sheet of the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF). It refers to support for projects that is not directly related to their purpose, in particular in the field of migration crisis management, repeated support for phantom projects, unused funded equipment, local authorities that failed to comply with the established agreements but still pocketed the allocated funds, and artificially inflated achievements. The Court of Auditors noted that ‘33 out of the 115 investments (businesses, constructions and equipment) […] examined were no longer operational at the time of our visit, and a further 66 risked becoming unsustainable’[1].
In a very vague reply, the Commission promises to ‘better target’ the aid and confesses that ‘the sustainability of the actions financed […] is highly dependent on many external factors beyond the Commission’s control’[2].
In light of the need for transparency and in the interest of accountability for European taxpayers, is the Commission able or does it intend to put into numbers the percentage of the billions pointlessly squandered in the eight years of the EU Trust Fund for Africa’s activity?
Submitted: 8.10.2024
- [1] Special report 17/2024: The EU Trust Fund for Africa – Despite new approaches, support remained unfocused – Court of Auditors – 25 September 2024.
- [2] Replies of the European Commission to the European Court of Auditors’ Special Report – https://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECAReplies/COM-Replies-SR-2024-17/COM-Replies-SR-2024-17_EN.pdf.