EUROPE · 23 Oct 2026 · 07:42 GMT ·1 min read

EU Prosecutors Search Patriots for Europe Offices in Probe of Predecessor Group's Funds

European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) investigators searched the Brussels and Strasbourg offices of the Patriots for Europe (PfE) group.

NEUTRALITY 53 · MIXED· 4 sources

DW English

European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) investigators searched the Brussels and Strasbourg offices of the Patriots for Europe (PfE) group. The search concerns alleged financial mismanagement by the group's predecessor, the Identity and Democracy (ID) alliance. Auditors reported that the ID alliance misused at least 4.3 million euros in EU funds between 2019 and 2024. The PfE group maintains it has no legal continuity with the defunct ID group. Investigators also searched the office of the PfE secretary general. The PfE holds 85 of 719 seats in the European Parliament.

Context

The Identity and Democracy (ID) group operated in the European Parliament from 2019 through 2024. This group united nationalist parties including the French National Rally, the German AfD, the Austrian FPÖ, and the Italian Lega.

Supportive perspectives

The "Patriots for Europe" group maintains it is a distinct entity from the defunct Identity and Democracy (ID) group. The group stated it has no legal continuity with the dissolved alliance and remains uninvolved in the ongoing investigations.
Investigators are examining the staff of the predecessor group. Jean-Paul Garraud is a French Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the National Rally. He stated that the searches specifically targeted the offices of staff members from the former Identity and Democracy group.

Critical perspectives

The European Public Prosecutor's Office is investigating financial irregularities. European Parliament auditors concluded in 2025 that members of the Identity and Democracy (ID) group misused at least €4.3 million in EU funds between 2019 and 2024.
The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) confirmed it searched premises in France and Belgium. The searches concern the use of European Union (EU) funds by the former group.