Overview

• The Court estimates about €6 billion was paid out irregularly in the last budget year, equal to a 3.6% error rate above its 2% materiality threshold.
• Faults were concentrated in structural and cohesion spending for weaker regions, often involving ineligible projects, ineligible costs or procurement breaches.
• Auditors flagged 19 suspected fraud cases and referred them to the competent EU authorities for follow‑up.
• The error rate fell from 5.6% a year earlier, which the Court called progress but still linked ongoing irregularities to weak oversight and accountability.
• The report also warns that EU borrowing could exceed €900 billion by 2027, increasing pressure on the sustainability of future budgets.