The €2,389 million in EU funds diverted to pensions that Brussels won't investigate
Spain's Court of Audit confirms the government diverted €2,389 million in EU funds to pensions. Why won't the EU investigate corruption in Spain?
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The €2,389 million in EU funds diverted to pensions that Brussels won't investigate
Spain's Tribunal de Cuentas (Court of Audit) has found that the government diverted at least €2,389 million in EU funds to pay pensions, a line item justified as 'surplus funds'. The statement was approved amid strong internal tension and exposes the lack of budgetary control. Meanwhile, the European institutions, which should be scrutinising the use of their funds, remain silent.
The odious debt doctrine and European complicity
The analyses have revived the concept of odious debt, a doctrine of international law holding that debt incurred against the interests of citizens should not be repaid. Jurist Alexander Sack established three conditions in 1927: absence of consent, personal benefit to the regime, and lender awareness. Applied to the Spanish case, the question is whether funds diverted to pensions —an unavoidable expense— can be considered odious, or whether the truly odious debt is the one the EU keeps financing for a government that fails to meet its conditions.
Europe's shielding of immigration and the mafias
Beyond the budget diversion, it is argued that Europe is funding mass immigrant regularisation policies without background checks, which benefits the immigration mafias even as its own citizens emigrate. The silent exodus of Germans is one example cited. The EU, according to this view, not only fails to investigate corruption but feeds it with its own policies.
Why doesn't the EU act against corruption in Spain?
The official answer is that fund management is the responsibility of member states, and that Brussels only intervenes when fraud is proven. Yet the Court of Audit has already certified an irregularity. The difference in treatment compared to countries like Hungary or Poland, where the EU has activated conditionality mechanisms, suggests that Spain's political weight shields Sánchez's government. The unanswered question is not whether the government has committed an irregularity; the real question is why Brussels, which demands compliance from others, looks the other way when it comes to Spain.
Related discussions in the forum
Spain's Tribunal de Cuentas (Court of Audit) has found that the government diverted at least €2,389 million in EU funds to pay pensions, a line item justified as 'surplus funds'. The statement was approved amid strong internal tension and exposes the lack of budgetary control. Meanwhile, the European institutions, which should be scrutinising the use of their funds, remain silent.
The odious debt doctrine and European complicity
The analyses have revived the concept of odious debt, a doctrine of international law holding that debt incurred against the interests of citizens should not be repaid. Jurist Alexander Sack established three conditions in 1927: absence of consent, personal benefit to the regime, and lender awareness. Applied to the Spanish case, the question is whether funds diverted to pensions —an unavoidable expense— can be considered odious, or whether the truly odious debt is the one the EU keeps financing for a government that fails to meet its conditions.
Europe's shielding of immigration and the mafias
Beyond the budget diversion, it is argued that Europe is funding mass immigrant regularisation policies without background checks, which benefits the immigration mafias even as its own citizens emigrate. The silent exodus of Germans is one example cited. The EU, according to this view, not only fails to investigate corruption but feeds it with its own policies.
Why doesn't the EU act against corruption in Spain?
The official answer is that fund management is the responsibility of member states, and that Brussels only intervenes when fraud is proven. Yet the Court of Audit has already certified an irregularity. The difference in treatment compared to countries like Hungary or Poland, where the EU has activated conditionality mechanisms, suggests that Spain's political weight shields Sánchez's government. The unanswered question is not whether the government has committed an irregularity; the real question is why Brussels, which demands compliance from others, looks the other way when it comes to Spain.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (14 replies).
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