Once a year, the European Parliament is granted a special superpower: 

We check whether the EU Commission has handled taxpayers’ money responsibly. To do this, we are given access to information and EU commissioners who are otherwise hardly accessible. The process is called “discharge.” 

We finally get answers to questions such as: How much money does the EU spend on tanks or drones? Who has benefited from the billions in COVID aid? Why and with what sums does the EU support companies that produce spyware? 

The current Commission under Ursula von der Leyen is not known for its transparency. Many investigative journalists—and we parliamentarians too—can tell you a thing or two about that. The hearings held as part of the discharge process shed light on the matter. We are currently scrutinizing the Commission’s 2024 budget.

Budgetary control is also crucial for the credibility of the EU. In 2024, the Commission had a budget of around €200 billion for climate protection, research, infrastructure, support for Ukraine, and much more. We ensure that this money goes where it is needed, that EU law is not violated, and that there are no cases of corruption.

This year, I was elected by Parliament as rapporteur for the discharge of the Commission budget. This means that I am responsible for analyzing the reports of the Court of Auditors and bombarding the Commission with questions. So far, I have submitted more than 200 questions and invited 15 commissioners and the Secretary-General to a hearing.

At the end of the process, my team and I draft Parliament’s discharge report. In it, we give the thumbs up or thumbs down. Because yes, if too many questions remain unanswered or rules have been broken, Parliament can also refuse to grant discharge – with serious consequences. In 1999, the Commission under Jacques Santer resigned en masse when Parliament refused to grant discharge. 

Discharge is therefore not a trivial bureaucratic act, but one of the most important levers for transparency, accountability, and trust in the EU. Without this process, citizens would have little idea how their money is being spent in Brussels.

So far, the Commission has been unable to answer all our questions. Further hearings will follow in the Committee on Budgetary Control in the coming weeks. I will keep you up to date.