World
Auditors slam poor oversight of cohesion spending
The EU’s cohesion funds aim to reduce social and economic disparities between the richest and poorest regions, but both the Commission and member states are failing to adequately oversee their spending, according to a new report by the European Court of Auditors (ECA).
The EU’s control system over more than a third of its budget has failed in recent years to significantly curb spending errors, auditors in Luxembourg said in a report published today (8 July) – meaning that cohesion money is not being spent according to the EU and national rules.
“We see that the Commission’s and member states system checks are not robust enough,” Helga Berger, the lead auditor, told Euronews.
In the 2014-2020 budget cycle, the overall error rate in cohesion spending fell from 6% to 4.8% – an improvement, but still well above the 2% threshold.
“The system should prevent errors, but if errors happen, the system should help to detect and correct them,” Berger noted, indicating substantial room for improvement in cohesion policy.
There are three levels of control over EU cohesion funds. First, cohesion spending is checked by the national managing authorities, then by the member states’ audit authorities, and thirdly by the Commission, which is ultimately responsible for implementing the EU budget.
Despite these layers of oversight, the ECA’s external auditors found 171 additional cases of errors, 170 of which could have been prevented by the audit authorities.
Spain, Germany, and Portugal were found to have a disproportionate number of errors relative to the funds received.
“We consider that these three member states in particular need to strengthen the detection capacity of their audit authorities, supported by the Commission,” the report stated.
The EU auditors identified three root causes of irregularities in cohesion spending: inadequate management by member states, negligence or suspected deliberate non-compliance by beneficiaries, and problems with the interpretation of the rules.
“Managing authorities are very decisive here,” Berger stressed. If these authorities fail to identify problems, subsequent checks depend on the effectiveness of the previous ones.
The auditors estimated that national managing authorities could have prevented more than a third of the errors found between 2017 and 2022.
EU Commission has work to do, say auditors
While campaigning for a second mandate, Commission president Ursula von der Leyen pledged to simplify the EU budget, eliminate redundancies, and enhance efficiency. She even hinted at the possibility of linking the hundreds of billions of cohesion funds to economic reforms.
However, the EU auditors cautioned that the Commission must improve its tools for detecting, preventing, and correcting errors in cohesion spending (which currently amounts to €392bn) to make these funds more effective.
For example, the auditors recommend providing clearer guidance to member states, simplifying the rules, and conducting more compliance checks.
“The Commission is currently focusing on a lot of desk audits,” Berger said, noting that these are insufficient for detecting erroneous spending.
Berger emphasized the need for more compliance audits, as they offer greater value but are currently limited in number.
“Both the Commission and the member states should work hand in hand with all players in the field to improve the system,” the lead auditor concluded.
The EU executive does not have to give an official response to the review, as it does with its audit reports – but the auditors claim that despite some disagreement over the robustness of the control system, the Commission agrees that the error rate is above the 2% threshold.
Published on •Updated
Belgium’s three regions announced on Friday that they would introduce a road tax next year that foreign drivers transiting the country would also have to pay.
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The country does not currently charge drivers to use its highways and the issue of introducing some form of payment has been debated for years.
“Everyone who uses our roads must contribute fairly to their maintenance,” said the transport minister for the southern Wallonia region, François Desquesnes.
Starting on 1 May 2027 drivers will need to register their vehicle and pay the road tax, with day passes available for drivers driving across the country.
An annual pass for a zero-emission car will cost €90 and up to €125 for higher polluting vehicles.
Road cameras that catch cars that haven’t paid for a pass will incur a fine of €70.
In Belgium, the individual regions are responsible for maintaining roads and motorways.
Currently, drivers can use almost all highways toll-free but the possibility of an introducing a charge has been under discussion for several years.
The revenue would be used for the operation and maintenance of the road network.
The proposed toll still needs final approval from the regions and European authorities.
According to the chairman of the liberal-conservative MR party, the government intends to offset the new toll by lowering other taxes for Belgians.
Additional sources • AFP
World
With US unleashing attacks, Iranian official threatens that the Islamic Republic will deliver a ‘hard slap’
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An Iranian official warned that the Islamic Republic will deliver a “hard slap” while another blatantly threatened the U.S. that “if you strike, you’ll get hit,” according to automatic translations from the two men’s Persian-language posts on X.
Ebrahim Rezaei, whose profile on the social media platform indicates that he is a representative in Iran’s Parliament and the spokesperson for the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, wrote in a post on X, “The martyred Khamenei taught us not to fear America and showed that ‘falsehood will perish.’ Await the hard slap from the Iranians.”
The speaker of Iran’s Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, warned, “America still hasn’t learned that bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free. Let me put it plainly: if you strike, you’ll get hit. Don’t flail around pointlessly, or you’ll sink even deeper: the Strait of Hormuz will only open with ‘Iranian arrangements,’ not American threats.”
Both of the men issued their posts on Wednesday after U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced more strikes against Iran.
“At the direction of the Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway,” CENTCOM had noted in a post on X.
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People gather at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla for a farewell ceremony for Iran’s late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on July 4, 2026, in Tehran, Iran. (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
The U.S. military later provided more information about the attacks.
“U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces completed an additional round of strikes against Iran, July 8, to further degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping and innocent civilian mariners in the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM noted on Wednesday night.
“U.S. forces struck approximately 90 Iranian military targets including air defense systems, coastal surveillance assets, missile and drone storage sites, naval capabilities, and military logistics infrastructure along Iran’s coastline. The latest strikes follow successful execution of offensive strikes in Iran the night before,” the announcement noted. “CENTCOM forces hit approximately 80 Iranian military targets July 7, including more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats, to impose heavy costs for Iran violating the ceasefire by attacking three commercial vessels navigating the Strait of Hormuz.”
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President Donald Trump indicated on Wednesday that, as far as he was concerned, the U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding ceasefire was “over.”
Kuwait and Bahrain have both reported coming under attack.
The Kuwait Army noted in a Thursday post on X, which was written in Arabic, “The Official Spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, Major General Saud Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi, stated that the armed forces detected, at dawn today, (3) ballistic missiles, (1) cruise missile, and (10) hostile drones within Kuwaiti airspace, which were successfully intercepted and dealt with.”
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President Donald Trump speaks as he meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, on July 8, 2026. (SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)
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The Bahrain Defense Force noted in a post that was in Arabic, “The General Command clarifies that, with firm resolve and high combat readiness, the Bahrain Defense Force’s air defense systems confronted, intercepted, and destroyed several treacherous Iranian aerial attacks this morning, Thursday, July 9, 2026 CE.”
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