The average error rate for MFF expenditure was 3.5%, according to the European Commission's reference to the Court's findings.

Omissions

• The ECA's published estimate for the 2025 financial year is 3.8%, not 3.5%; the claim understates the error rate by about 0.3 percentage points.
• The error rate rose compared with 2024 (3.6%), and remains well above the 2% materiality threshold, which is the reason for the adverse opinion — context the speaker does not mention.
• The claim refers generically to 'average error rates'; the ECA figure is a single estimated level of error (mid-point of a confidence range) for budget/MFF expenditure, while RRF spending is assessed separately and received a qualified opinion.
• No source located explicitly states a 3.5% figure, so the precise provenance of the MEP's number (possibly a Commission communication paraphrasing the Court) could not be confirmed.

Sources

• PrimaryEuropean Court of Auditors — 2025 EU audit in brief (Annual reports concerning the 2025 financial year)"Our overall estimated level of error for budget expenditure accepted in the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2025 is 3.8 % (2024: 3.6 %)."
• PrimaryEuropean Court of Auditors — Annual reports concerning the 2025 financial year"In 2025, EU payments totalled €216.4 billion: €176.3 billion in spending from the EU budget, and a further €40.1 billion from the Recovery and ..."; the 2025 audit in brief states: "We issue a qualified opinion on RRF expenditure in 2025."
• SecondaryThe Brussels Times — "The devil in the details: How the EU misspent 3.8% of the 2025 budget""The estimated level of error in EU spending rose to 3.8 % in 2025, from 3.6 % in 2024."
• SecondarySofia Globe — "European Court of Auditors: Estimated 3.8% of the EU budget was misspent in 2025""The error rate for cohesion funding rose from 5.7 per cent in 2024 to 6.6 per cent in 2025, while the rate for agriculture and the environment ..." (headline figure: 3.8% of the EU budget misspent in 2025)