EU Public Prosecutor carries out investigative measures in several countries against former ID parliamentary group – RN affected

Paris – 01.07.2026: The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) said on 30 June 2026 that investigative measures are underway in several EU states concerning the suspected abusive use of European Parliament funds by the former parliamentary group Identity and Democracy (ID) in the years 2019 to 2024. According to the EPPO, France is one of the locations of these searches.

According to consistent reports from national and international media, searches took place on Tuesday, 30 June, in France, Spain, Italy and Belgium. The investigations are based, according to available information, on an audit report by the European Parliament’s financial department, which classified ID-related expenditures amounting to millions as irregular.

The president of the Rassemblement National, Jordan Bardella, said on social media that since early morning searches had been carried out in the offices and private homes of communications service providers who had worked with his party. He linked the statement to an announcement that he would cooperate with the authorities, while at the same time lamenting a political instrumentalization of the events.

Media-cited internal audits of the Parliament speak of a total of several million euros in potentially inadmissible expenditures; specifically, allocations to non-governmental organizations and direct contracts with certain private service providers are mentioned. The EPPO emphasized that, in an ongoing procedure, details were being withheld in order not to jeopardize the outcome of the investigation.

During the 2019–2024 legislature the ID parliamentary group was composed of members from several right-wing populist and far-right parties; parts of the alleged cooperation and subcontract awards are said, according to current reports, to have been made without adequate tenders. Some of the companies and individuals involved were named in media reports; investigative authorities generally do not respond directly to such inquiries.

Legally, the EPPO is an independent EU authority responsible for protecting the Union’s financial interests; it can coordinate cross-border measures and operate in member states. The presumption of innocence applies to those affected until further notice; any criminal or administrative consequences will depend on the results of the ongoing investigation.

The events have immediate political significance in France, where the RN and its leaders are already involved in other proceedings. Observers expect that the EPPO’s findings will rekindle political debates about party funding and transparency in the European Parliament.

Further developments, such as formal charges or court orders, remain to be seen; the EPPO and national judicial authorities are the central sources of information for binding steps.