The Parliament’s misspent €1.5 million

Summary

Brussels Playbook Podcast – Episode Summary

Episode Title: The Parliament’s misspent €1.5 million
Date: May 5, 2026
Host: Zoya Sheftalovich
Guest: Ian Wishart (Senior EU Politics Editor)

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Overview

This episode explores the news that political parties in the European Parliament have misspent €1.5 million during the 2024 EU election campaign, examining the implications for transparency, accountability, and public perception. Other segments discuss a significant personnel shift in the EU’s diplomatic apparatus and a delightfully quirky food controversy in the Parliament’s canteen.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. €1.5 Million Misspent by Political Parties (00:27–06:22)

• Findings and Context:
  The European Parliament’s Department of Finance has determined that political parties and related foundations misspent over €1.5 million, violating EU funding rules during the 2024 elections. This scoop comes via journalist Max Griera and is based on a leaked, heavily redacted report.

  • Causes of Misspending:
    • Excessive or unnecessary expenditure
    • Breaches of public procurement processes
    • Indirect financing of national parties using EU funds
    • Duplicate reimbursement claims (e.g., two parties seeking refunds for the same event).

• Lack of Transparency:
  The parties remain unnamed due to redactions; only aggregated amounts are shown. The European People’s Party (EPP) and the Party of European Socialists (PES) are the biggest offenders by sums—likely because they are the largest parties.

  • Quote (Ian Wishart, 02:12):
    “It’s not a complete surprise... We’ve seen reports about this time and time again, and even now... nobody’s actually saying which parties are responsible.”
  • Quote (Zoya Sheftalovich, 03:27):
    “If they pay it back, they’re not going to get named and shamed... It’s kind of an ass saving exercise from the European Parliament and from the parties involved.”

• The Trick Explained:
  Quote (Ian Wishart, 03:49):
  “Imagine you go out on a business dinner with somebody else. The bill comes to €100. You claim €100 from your company in expenses, but the person you’re having dinner with still gives their €50 to you. So you’re kind of making a €50 profit.”

• Broader Impacts:
  The scandal is particularly galling for taxpayers given ongoing cost of living struggles. The pattern of poor controls and lack of naming-and-shaming further erodes public trust in the Parliament.

2. EU’s Ukraine Loan and International Support (06:22–07:03)

• Finance Ministers’ Meeting:
  EU finance ministers are gathering to discuss shoring up a €90 billion Ukraine loan package, now unblocked after Viktor Orbán’s election loss.
  • Pressure is mounting on non-EU backers like Norway, Japan, and Canada to participate; the UK also announced its intent to join the scheme.
  • Quote (Zoya Sheftalovich, 05:40):
    “Volodymyr Zelensky... is asking for more support. He was asking for more support yesterday. So I think this is part of that kind of call to action.”
  • Ukraine and backers underscore that €90 billion is a baseline, not a ceiling.

3. High-Ranking EU Foreign Policy Personnel Change (06:22–09:20)

• Secretary General of the EEAS Departure:
  Belen Martinez Carbonell, Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS), is leaving her position—a Brussels Playbook exclusive.
  • Context of Tension:
    Ursula von der Leyen’s European Commission has shown increasing assertiveness in foreign affairs, causing friction with the EEAS.
  • Pattern of Instability:
    Carbonell’s departure marks the third key change under High Representative Kaja Kallas, following Stefano Sannino’s prior exit.
    • Quote (Ian Wishart, 07:03):
      “Now we don’t know where she’s going or exactly why... she’s looking for a third person as Secretary General.”
  • Backstory:
    Reference to prior controversies—such as the sidelining attempt involving Martin Selmayr—serves as an example of power struggles in top EU jobs.
    • Quote (Zoya Sheftalovich, 07:43):
      “Now this is that guy who was known as the monster of the Berlaymont. He was Jean-Claude Juncker’s right-hand man during the Juncker command.”
  • Geopolitical Stakes:
    The personnel churn comes as the EU’s role in global crises, such as Ukraine and Iran, faces unprecedented scrutiny.
    • Quote (Ian Wishart, 08:49):
      “It’s no wonder that the spotlight is on how the EU does foreign policy. And it’s never done... foreign policy very well.”

4. Food Outrage in the European Parliament (09:47–11:50)

• Octopus Scandal:
  Spanish MEP Adrian Vázquez Lazara was scandalized by the serving of traditional Galician octopus (pulpo a feira) incorrectly in the Parliament canteen (not served in a copper pot).

  • He plans to host an authentic dinner to “put this sector back in the spotlight” and educate colleagues on proper preparation.
    • Quote (Ian Wishart, reading from Vázquez Lazara, 10:52):
      “Following the notorious fake... pulpo a feira we discovered in the canteen, the time has come to put this sector back in the spotlight... I am delighted to invite you to a real Galician feira.”
  • Lighthearted Banter:
    The discussion segued into octopus cooking tips and the ethics of eating octopus, adding humor and local color.

• Other Canteen Controversies:

  • Veggie burgers being served right after a vegetarian ban announcement.
  • Italian Agriculture Minister’s indignation at finding carbonara with pancetta instead of guanciale in the Parliament.
    • Quote (Zoya Sheftalovich, 11:38):
      “Italy’s agriculture minister complained that there was a jar of carbonara sauce in the delairs inside the parliament which contained, get this, pancetta instead of guanciale.”

5. Community and Listener Engagement (Throughout)

• Call for Tips and Feedback:
  Zoya and Ian invite listeners to share tips about personnel moves via WhatsApp, mixing friendly ribbing with a genuine request for leads.
  • Quote (Zoya Sheftalovich, 09:21):
    “You know, our WhatsApp number is in the show notes, please send us any tips about people...”
• Rivalry and Ratings:
  The hosts ask for five-star ratings to help surpass the Berlin Playbook podcast in popularity, with tongue-in-cheek competitive banter.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (With Timestamps)

• On Parliamentary Opacity:
  Zoya, 03:27:
  “If they pay it back, they’re not going to get named and shamed... This is kind of an ass saving exercise.”

• On EU Expense Tricks:
  Ian, 03:49:
  “Imagine you go out on a business dinner... The bill comes to €100. You claim €100 from your company in expenses, but the person you’re having dinner with still gives their €50 to you.”

• On Foreign Policy Weakness:
  Ian, 08:49:
  “It’s never done, let’s face it, it’s never done foreign policy very well.”

• On Octopus Outrage:
  Ian (quoting Adrian Vázquez Lazara), 10:52:
  “Following the notorious fake... pulpo a feira we discovered in the canteen, the time has come to put this sector back in the spotlight...”

• On Canteen Miscues:
  Zoya, 11:38:
  “Italy’s agriculture minister complained that there was a jar of carbonara sauce... inside the parliament which contained, get this, pancetta instead of guanciale.”

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:27: Episode intro & main stories overview
• 01:40 – 06:22: Misspending of €1.5 million by EU parties
• 05:08 – 06:22: EU finance ministers meeting/Ukrainian loan
• 06:22 – 09:20: EEAS Secretary General departure and EU foreign policy challenges
• 09:47 – 11:50: Octopus/canteen food outrage and other culinary controversies
• Throughout: Listener engagement and ratings banter

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Tone and Flavor

Conversational, gently irreverent, and deeply informed, Zoya and Ian strike a balance between exposing serious EU institutional problems and indulging in Brussels’ lighter, quirkier aspects. Their banter, food trivia, and inside scoops make complex issues accessible—and invite listeners to become sources for the next big Brussels story.

Transcript

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[Zora Sheftalovich]

Good morning. It's Tuesday, May 5th, and this is the Brussels Playbook podcast. The vibe in Brussels today is opaque with the news that political parties in the European Parliament misspent 1.5 million euros during the 2024 EU election campaign. Also on the pod, One of the EU's most senior officials, the Secretary General of the European External Action Service, is on her way out. And a Spanish MEP was outraged when he saw an octopus dish from his region being served incorrectly in the European Parliament canteen. I'm Zora Sheftalovich and with me today is Ian Wishart, our senior EU politics editor. Ian, what's a British dish you'd get into a huff about?

[Ian Wishart]

Oh, I don't know a dish, but maybe a cup of tea. When I see how Europeans make a cup of tea, I'm outraged. Actually, they don't boil the kettle properly. They. They put disgusting Belgian UHT milk in it. They leave the tea bag in for more than a couple of minutes. It's utterly disgusting and I'm horrified.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

You're really liberally throwing around the term disgusting again.

[Ian Wishart]

Don't trust a non British person to make a cup of tea. Well, I was told I couldn't use the word foreigner, so I'm not.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

Ian. That's how you get us cancelled, Ian. The European Parliament's Department of Finance has found some political parties and foundations have misspelled spent 1.5 million euros during the 2024 EU election campaign. This is a story that our colleague Max Griera has got his hot little hands on, and that money was not meant to be eligible for EU funding because there were breaches of EU rules. And breaches are things like using excessive money or unnecessary costs, violations of public procurement requirements, or using funds to indirectly finance a national political party.

[Ian Wishart]

It's not a complete surprise. I'm sure our listeners and readers of Politico will think that there's money being misspent in the European Parliament. We seen reports about this time and time again, and even now I think what people are a little bit upset about is nobody's actually saying which parties are responsible for this this is this

[Zora Sheftalovich]

report that Max has his hands on. So it's a leaked report, it's a scoop that he has managed to get. And basically what's happened is that there is a sense that this is happening, but everything's been redacted. We don't know who's been doing it.

[Ian Wishart]

Yeah. All we know is the money per party. So I'm looking at a graph here that MA has got and the EPP supposed to have misspent. What's that? €476,000. The PES and the Socialists are next on €267,000. Obviously they're the bigger party, so you'd probably expect, if they're all doing the same thing, to have misspent the most. So we don't know exactly how much was misspent, what exactly they did, how egregious this was, whether it was deliberate or not. But all this money all these parties are having to pay back and as we said, to achieve in total of one and a half million.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

And this is basically if they pay it back, then they're not going to get named and shamed. Right. And like, this is kind of an ass saving exercise from the European Parliament and from the parties involved, because they can take the l take the loss, as the young kids were saying two years ago, because I'm really hip with the lingo, and they can just pay it back or if they refuse to do that, then the Parliament is going to name and shame.

[Ian Wishart]

Yeah. And one of the things they were doing according to, according to Max's report is, is that they were asking for a reimbursement from EU funds for certain things. But the third party had already covered the costs themselves. So the way Max explained it to us this morning was imagine you go out on a business dinner with somebody else. The bill comes to €100. You claim €100 from your company in expenses, but the person you're having dinner with still gives their €50 to you. So you're kind of making a €50 profit.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

You're giving me ideas.

[Ian Wishart]

Don't do that, Zoya.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

One of the oldest tricks in the

[Ian Wishart]

book, they've mentioned it before. Apparently the Parliament in auditors report last year said that this trick was being done. The administration told parties to discontinue the practice at that point, but it still seems to have gone on.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

Yeah, and look, it's a problem because obviously EU taxpayers are paying money. We're expecting people to kind of go without. There's a big cost of living crisis at the moment. So it's probably going to be pretty upsetting for people to hear that 1.5 million was missing spent during this election campaign. Before we get to our next story, we've got a bit of an agenda item today, Ian. It's the finance ministers from across the EU who are meeting to discuss how to get help from countries to top up the EU's Ukraine loan.

[Ian Wishart]

And of course, this was all unblocked because Viktor Orban lost the election. He'd been blocking it for months. But now they can go and actually think about the finer points.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

That's right. And basically there's now pressure on Norway, Japan and Canada, which are obviously not eu EU countries, but are Ukraine backers to also help out with supporting Ukraine because currently the EU is shouldering the vast majority of the burden.

[Ian Wishart]

That's really fascinating, actually. And also the UK announced yesterday that it wanted to be part of the scheme. So as soon as this bloc is gone, it's interesting how they all want to come in.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

Yeah. And Volodymyr Zelensky, he's in Armenia at the European Political Community Summit, that Macron baby. And he's asking for more support. He was asking for more support yesterday. So I think this is part of that kind of call to action.

[Ian Wishart]

Yeah. Reminder for people, this is a 90 billion euro loan that the EU is sending to Ukraine to help with weapons and rebuilding and that kind of thing.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

Yep. And Ukraine says, look, 90 billion is just the beginning. And so does the EU. Actually, you know, I've been speaking with diplomats over the past few weeks from various countries around the EU who are big Ukraine backers, and they're saying, look, the 90 billion is not a be all and end all. If we can get more, Ukraine needs more because it's currently got a bit of an upper hand in the fight. So they want to keep that momentum going.

[Ian Wishart]

Okay. Now, Zoya, we're going to talk a bit more about EU foreign policy and personnel issues, aren't we?

[Zora Sheftalovich]

Oh, I love a personnel issue, Ian,

[Ian Wishart]

but this is actually a really senior person.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

It is. It's Belen Martinez Carbonell who is set to leave her post as the Secretary General of the eas.

[Ian Wishart]

And this is a scoop that Brussels Playbook is breaking this morning.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

That's right. And the EAS, that's the EU's diplomatic arm. It's really important from the perspective of its the kind of foreign policy of the European Union. But the flip side of it is that with Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, really active in this sphere, there has Been some tension between the Commission and the eas.

[Ian Wishart]

Now we don't know where she's going or exactly why she's decided to step down. But this is the third person who will be in that role since Kayakallis became the high rep. So she lost Stefano Cennino. First he went from the EAs to the Commission and now she's losing this woman. So she's looking for a third person as Secretary General.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

Yeah. And so Bellon, she was actually sidelined when there was all of that brouhaha around Martin Selmeyer.

[Ian Wishart]

Well, I don't think she was sidelined, but there was certainly diplomats and officials in the Commission saying that was the attempt, that people were trying to sideline her.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

Exactly. And that she was going to be stripped of her major dut and that Cellmaier was gonna come in. Now this is that guy who was kind of known as the monster of the Berlamont. He was Jean Claude Juncker's right hand man during the Junker command.

[Ian Wishart]

He was basically the most powerful man in the Commission. In the Junker. In the Junker administration.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

And there was also, by the way, one of the most polite men in the Junker administration. He never has a person responded to a spicy question from a journalist with such grace, let me tell you.

[Ian Wishart]

I wonder why that would be. But in the end he didn't come, did he? No, he did an ES job.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

He was blocked. And that was like a big power move from the European Commission, from Ursula von der Leyen. They weren't too keen on Salmay making a return to Brussels. He's safely ensconced in the Vatican, of all places.

[Ian Wishart]

So we'll see what happens now. We'll see when they make official the fact that Carbonel is leaving and where she's going to go and what the process will be to replace it.

[Bloomberg Narrator]

Her.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

Yeah, that's right. And this is actually all part of this broader picture of the fight for influence on that global scale between the Commission and member countries.

[Ian Wishart]

I mean, these are really high stakes. You look around the world, you see there's conflict in Iran, obviously the Ukraine conflict's been going on for a few years. It's no wonder that the spotlight is on how the EU does foreign policy. And it's never done, let's face it, it's never done foreign policy very well. So now that actually geopolitics is right at the top of the agenda. It's not a surprise that we're talk about it.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

Yeah. So this is a big, big power personnel Move. And it'll be one we're following closely. And folks, if you've got other tip offs for us.

[Ian Wishart]

Oh, we'd like to know, wouldn't we?

[Zora Sheftalovich]

We would so like to know. You know, our WhatsApp number is in the show Notes, please send us any tips about people don't even know need

[Ian Wishart]

to know the number now. So you just click on the link.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

Absolutely right. I've heard you've sent us a note too, Ian.

[Ian Wishart]

I haven't done that. No. I don't know why you're making that up.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

Well, folks, you can let us know if you have heard of a big personnel move or even a medium personnel move. We'd like to know about those Brussels playbook cares.

[Ian Wishart]

I hesitate to say it, but shall we talk about food?

[Zora Sheftalovich]

Zoya, I love to talk about food. As everyone knows, I'm not going to ask you what your favorite octopus dish is.

[Ian Wishart]

I've never eaten octopus and I'm not going to pass judgment on it.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

Well, the third story is about a Spanish.

[Ian Wishart]

I imagine they're a bit tough, are they?

[Zora Sheftalovich]

It depends on how you cook it. And if you massage it. If you massage it.

[Ian Wishart]

Yeah, all the. All eight of them.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

Literally all eight of them. So the best, the secret to good octopus and good squid is you soak it and you massage it and make it soft and juicy. But I don't eat it anymore because I hear that octopuses have feelings.

[Ian Wishart]

Don't we all?

[Zora Sheftalovich]

Yeah.

[Ian Wishart]

Tell us the story. Tell us what this is about.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

Well, a Spanish mep was outraged when he saw the Galician dish of boiled octopus being served in the Parliament canteen. And it was done incorrectly.

[Ian Wishart]

No.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

Yeah. It wasn't in a copper pot, Ian.

[Ian Wishart]

Was it not?

[Zora Sheftalovich]

It wasn't.

[Ian Wishart]

Dreadful.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

I wonder what it was in anyway.

[Ian Wishart]

It looks like something polystyrene or something.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

Yeah. So the mep, Adrian Vasquez Lazara, he is hosting a dinner for his colleagues to show them what the real thing's meant to taste like.

[Ian Wishart]

I've got a quote from him here, actually. Following the notorious fake. How do you pronounce this Pobo a ferra that we discovered in the canteen. The time has come to put this sector back in the spotlight. In the spirit of the sacred mission, I am delighted to invite you to a real Galician Fiera Fairer.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

Where's my invite?

[Ian Wishart]

Ian, I think you've made your stance on octopus is quite clear, so I wouldn't worry about that.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

Well, it's not the first food related outrage in an EU institution.

[Ian Wishart]

It's the first Food related outrage on this podcast.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

Too soon. Well, the European Parliament canteen has also served veggie burgers the day after the veggie burger ban was announced.

[Ian Wishart]

Yeah, yeah. And the other one you've got on your list?

[Zora Sheftalovich]

Well, I've. I've got a.

[Ian Wishart]

Not saying you're reading this or anything.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

I remember this like it was yesterday. Italy's agriculture minister complained that there was a jar of carbonara sauce in the delairs inside the parliament which contained, get this, pancetta instead of guanciale.

[Ian Wishart]

Is it not supposed to contain pancetta then? I always thought it did. Right.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

No, it's quanciale.

[Ian Wishart]

I mean, the most interesting thing there, there's a delays inside the parliament.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

There's a delez, There's a hairdresser. You can do almost anything in there except work. Sorry, meps, that's just a little gentle ribbing of our favorite We Don't Really Mean it folks. That's it from us today. Don't forget to send us your job moves. You know the drill by this stage. And please leave us some more ratings. You know, I was so happy, Ian. I asked for people to rate us some more so that we'd get off our stuff. Slump on Spotify.

[Ian Wishart]

Are we on a slump?

[Zora Sheftalovich]

We were on a slump.

[Ian Wishart]

Me?

[Zora Sheftalovich]

Yeah, we were at stuck on 676 ratings. We've got all the way up to 740. And I was so happy. But then I saw that the Berlin playbook podcast has 3,000.

[Ian Wishart]

Well, we need to vanquish them.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

We do.

[Ian Wishart]

Don't listen to the Berlin Playbook podcast.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

No. Listeners, you can love two things at once.

[Ian Wishart]

German anyway.

[Zora Sheftalovich]

It is. Yes, but people can love two things at once. Leave us five stars. We would love that. And we'll be back with you tomorrow.

[Ian Wishart]

Bye.

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