The S&D Group has given its approval on how the European Commission spent the EU budget in 2022. According to the Socialists and Democrats, the EU successfully overcame multiple challenges in 2022 by implementing a joint response, primarily through the EU budget. These challenges included the Russian invasion in Ukraine and all its consequences for Europe, the ongoing economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and the escalating energy prices that started before the war in Ukraine.

Isabel García Muñoz, S&D MEP and European Parliament’s negotiator on the matter in the committee on budgetary control, said:

“One of the lessons learnt from 2022 is that the challenges the European Union faces are so huge it is possible to solve them only through a common financial effort. The EU annual budget is a limited resource and we have to use it wisely in order to deliver to our citizens and businesses.

“Another lesson learnt: the expenditures made by the Commission in 2022, as well as in every other year, have such a significant impact on the lives of every single European citizen that we have to better combat fraud involving EU money. On top of that, everything that undermines the transparency and ethics of the EU bodies tests the credibility of the European project. This is unacceptable at any time, but even more so when we see the rise of populism and the far right. 

“Today, even the conservative EPP – who claim their political family is affiliated to the principle of zero tolerance to conflict of interest – is supporting amendments that undermine our fight for this purpose. The EPP Group don’t practice what they preach. In words, this group is a strong proponent of transparency, ethics of EU bodies and everything else our institutions owe to our citizens. In practice, they want to weaken the rules concerning conflict of interest in the EU financial rules. They also use EU institutions to spread disinformation about humanitarian aid in conflict zones. On top of this, they criticised us today for our principle position in the EP plenary calling it a ‘cheap political campaign’. 

“Let’s be very clear on this accusation made by the EPP Group – the lack of transparency on the appointment of Mr Markus Pieper by the Commission President does not increase the trust in the European Commission and in EU politics in general. This is why our group supported the amendment tabled in plenary asking the Commission to reconsider his appointment as its special envoy following a procedure we cannot qualify as transparent and based solely on merit.”