Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-002006/2025/rev.1
to the Commission
Rule 144
Auke Zijlstra (PfE), Ton Diepeveen (PfE)
On 6 May 2025, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) published Review 02/2025 entitled ‘Performance-orientation, accountability and transparency – lessons to be learned from the weaknesses of the RRF’[1]. In it, the ECA makes a rather scathing assessment of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) and states that much is going wrong. The following is stated in the review: ‘By the end of 2023, the member states had not reported a single case of suspected fraud in their management declarations. However, the 2023 annual report of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, indicated 206 active investigations related to RRF funds […].’ (p. 33). On 14 May 2025, in addition, ECA Special Report 09/2025[2] was presented to Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control. The ECA reported that the Commission had not conducted a detailed assessment and wanted to provide assurance for 2022 without carrying out audit work itself. According to the Director-General of Commission DG ECFIN, 64 ongoing cases had been reported by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO).
- 1.Does the Commission know the correct number of ongoing cases at the EPPO?
- 2.In the Commission’s view, how is it possible that the figures vary to such an extent and that some Member States evidently do not report fraud?
- 3.In view of the above, does the Commission agree that the RRF and the way it is being handled are a disaster?
Submitted: 20.5.2025