The estimated error rate in EU budget expenditure rose to 3.8%

Omissions

• The ECA's error rate is an estimate of expenditure affected by material error or non-compliance with EU rules; it is not a measure of fraud.
• The claim correctly compares 2025 (3.8%) with 2024 (3.6%), but the increase is only 0.2 percentage points and the claim does not set out the longer-term trend.

Sources

• PrimaryEuropean Court of Auditors — Auditors: Homework to do on the EU's next long-term budgetAn estimated 3.8 % of the EU budget was misspent in 2025
• PrimaryEuropean Court of Auditors — Annual reports concerning the 2025 financial yearIn 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 Resilience Facility
• SecondaryThe Brussels Times — The devil in the details: How the EU misspent 3.8% of the 2025 budgetHow the EU misspent 3.8% of the 2025 budget
• Secondaryeucrim — ECA Report for 2024 Financial Year: RRF Has Systemic Weaknessesthe estimated error rate is 3.6% (approximately €6 billion)