Brussels, 27 April 2026
Following revelations last year that the now-defunct Identity and Democracy (ID) group in the European Parliament had misused some 4.3 million euros in EU funds, Transparency International EU (TI EU) has submitted a complaint to the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) on the group’s then-Secretary-General, Philip Claeys. Mr Claeys remains the Secretary-General of the ID’s group’s successor, the Patriots for Europe (PfE) group. As Secretary General of the ID group Mr Claeys was responsible for overseeing its budget. According to reporting, the PfE group, the third-largest group in the European Parliament, may be involved in similar misuse-of-funds schemes.
The ID group is now the subject of an investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO). Irrespective of this criminal inquiry, Transparency International EU is calling on OLAF to open a complementary investigation to establish administrative misconduct, as Mr Claeys is an employee of the European Parliament.
Nick Aiossa, Director at Transparency International EU, said
“It is astonishing that the European Parliament has refused to act against an employee, Philip Claeys, who was found to have overseen the mismanagement of millions of euros – and whose group is the subject of a criminal investigation. Not only has he received no consequences for his involvement but has been allowed to manage an even larger budget of taxpayers’ money. This is beyond employer leniency; this is sheer negligence.”
Given the seriousness of these circumstances, Mr Claeys must be stripped of any budgetary authority and face appropriate disciplinary procedures.
