Fraud in the E.U.
The week's news at a glance.
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.”
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
July 13 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include new TSA rules, FEMA cuts, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy complimenting Donald Trump's new wardrobe
-
5 weather-beaten cartoons about the Texas floods
Cartoons Artists take on funding cuts, politicizing tragedy, and more
-
What has the Dalai Lama achieved?
The Explainer Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader has just turned 90, and he has been clarifying his reincarnation plans