Press Release: Commission claws back EUR 142.9 million of farm expenditure from Member States

The European Commission adopted a decision to recover €142.9 million of EU farm money misspent by Member States. The money will be claimed back because of inadequate control procedures or non-compliance with EU rules on agricultural expenditure. Member States are responsible for paying out and checking virtually all expenditure under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The audit procedure is a vital instrument for controlling EU farm expenditure. It allows for the recovery of money paid out by the Member States without sufficient guarantees of the legitimacy of the payments or the reliability of the controls.