Every year infringement cases against Member States increase for failing to apply what they themselves have approved.

Error detected

The claim incorrectly states that infringement cases increase every year when official data shows the opposite trend - a 21% decrease over 5 years for Single Market infringement cases.

Omissions

• The MEP's claim omits the fact that infringement cases have been on a downward trend over the past 5 years, with a 21% decrease according to the Single Market Scoreboard.
• The claim focuses on the year-on-year comparison but ignores the longer-term trend which contradicts the narrative of consistently increasing cases.
• The claim was made in April 2026, but the most recent complete annual data available is from 2023 and shows cases closing rather than accumulating.

Sources

• PrimaryEuropean Commission - 2023 Annual Report on monitoring the application of EU lawIn 2023, the Commission closed 1,038 infringement cases. The report provides comprehensive annual data on infringement procedures.
• PrimarySingle Market Scoreboard - European CommissionThe number of Single Market infringement cases has risen slightly (by 1% over the last year), but has shown a notable decrease of 21% over the past 5 years.
• PrimaryEuropean Commission - 2019 Commission report on monitoring the application of EU lawIn 2019, the Commission launched 797 infringement cases, showing the volume of cases opened in a typical year.