Brussels
Embezzling cost the European Union more than $1 billion last year, the London Times reported this week. That’s equivalent to 1 percent of the E.U.’s entire budget. At least half of the money stolen was intended for farm subsidies. One scam was based on a trade scheme established to help sugar beet farmers in the Balkans export their produce. E.U. bureaucrats in Brussels paid $1.2 million in sugar subsidies to Croatian businessmen before realizing that there was no sugar industry in Croatia. The businessmen collected the subsidies by importing sugar and pouring it into new packages stamped “Product of Croatia.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Critics’ choice: Restaurants worthy of their buzzfeature A fun bistro, a reservation worth the wait, and a modern twist on Mexican dishes
-
Film reviews: Snow White, Death of a Unicorn, and The Alto KnightsFeature A makeover for Disney’s first animated feature, greedy humans earn nature’s wrath, and a feud between crime bosses rattles the mob
-
Bombs or talks: What’s next in the US-Iran showdown?Talking Points US gives Tehran a two-month deadline to deal
