Reviewing How the EU Spent Its Money in 2024

The European Parliament's Review of the EU Budget

The European Parliament (EP) completed a review of how the European Union (EU) spent its money in 2024. This review was conducted by the Court of Auditors, which acts as the EU's external auditor.

The EP's decision, known as a discharge, signifies that the Parliament approves the Court of Auditors' work and gives the Court the green light to continue its operations.

Parliament's Decision

The Parliament's decision included three main points:

• Discharge Granted: The EP officially approved the Court of Auditors' work on the 2024 EU budget.
• Observations Attached: The EP provided its own comments and suggestions. These are not new rules but serve as guidance for the Court and other EU bodies.
• Communication: The final decision will be shared with the Council, the Commission, and the Court, and published in the Official Journal of the EU.

How the Court Spent the 2024 Budget

The Court's total budget for 2024 was €13.3 billion, representing 6.9% of the entire EU budget.

Key spending areas included:

• Staff Costs: This was the largest expense, accounting for 69% of the Court's spending (salaries, pensions, etc.).
• Buildings & IT: The Court spent €5.7 million on its physical infrastructure and technology.
• Mission Costs: €2.86 million was allocated for staff travel, training, and missions.
• Other: The remaining 10.5% covered equipment, energy, and communications.

Overall, the spending was highly efficient:

• 97.3% of the money planned for spending was actually used.
• 94.8% of the money promised was paid out.
• The Court maintained a quick payment process, keeping the average time to pay invoices below 11 days.

Key Achievements in 2024

The Court reported significant activity across several areas:

• Audits: The Court examined 70 transactions. While 16 (23%) contained errors, the overall level of error was considered acceptable.
• Reports: 40 reports were published, covering annual, specific, special, and review topics.
• Recommendations: The Court successfully implemented 93% of the recommendations it had made back in 2020.
• Technology: The Court upgraded its website, adopted a secure remote-access system, and began using AI tools like Microsoft Copilot.
• Security: It adopted password-less login and zero-trust principles, and conducted a major cybersecurity exercise.
• Environment: Emissions dropped by 15% since 2014. Energy use also decreased, falling 24% for electricity and 22% for heating.

Parliament's Main Observations

The Parliament highlighted several areas where the Court should improve its work:

• Scope of Audits: The Parliament requested that the Court audit all EU institutions and agencies, not just a select few.
• Data Access: The Court needs full, real-time access to key EU data systems (such as ARACHNE and FENIX) to speed up its audits.
• Gender Balance: Although women make up 54% of the staff, they only hold 30% of senior roles. The Parliament urged for better gender balance.
• Transparency: The Court should continue improving how it displays its spending and how it audits other EU bodies.
• Ethics: The Court must clarify its rules regarding when it can lift immunity for staff investigated by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO).
• Anti-Fraud: The Court should join the EU’s Transparency Register and maintain close cooperation with OLAF and the EPPO.
• Sustainability: While the sustainability report was praised, the Parliament requested more progress on reducing paper use and waste.

Future Focus Areas

The Court plans to continue focusing on several key areas:

• Expanding Audits: It will continue its effort to audit every EU institution and agency.
• Improving Data: It is working with the Commission to gain full, timely access to major databases.
• Gender Equality: It will continue monitoring and improving the representation of women in senior roles.
• Digitalization: It will roll out AI tools, enhance cybersecurity, and maintain its accessible website.
• Environment: It will continue efforts to cut energy use, reduce paper, and support green purchasing.

Broader context

What this is in the EU system

• The European External Action Service (EEAS) is the EU’s diplomatic service, responsible for running the EU’s foreign‑policy work and its 145 EU delegations (embassies‑like offices) in countries around the world. europarl.europa
• Every year, the European Parliament must check how each EU institution spent its budget. This check is called the discharge, and giving discharge for 2024 to the EEAS means Parliament has formally accepted that the EEAS used its 2024 budget correctly and legally. europarl.europa

Why this matters politically

• The EEAS budget is part of a larger EU administrative budget (for staff, buildings, IT, etc.) that rises slowly while the EU’s foreign‑policy tasks grow, especially because of the war in Ukraine, migration, cyber‑threats and global competition with powers such as Russia and China. eeas.europa
• The decision highlights that the EEAS works under tight financial rules, including a strict 2% cap on non‑salary spending and cost pressures from inflation and currency swings. Parliament is signalling that the EEAS cannot be expected to do more with less, because under‑funding would weaken both staff safety and the EU’s credibility as a global actor. europarl.europa

How it fits into EU‑level checks

• The EEAS’s budget is supervised by several bodies:
  • the European Court of Auditors, which checked a sample of transactions and concluded that the EEAS’s spending is overall “low risk”; europarl.europa
  • the European Parliament, which now uses this discharge decision to push for better procurement, transparency, and ethics (for example by asking for more digital invoicing and clearer rules on high‑value contracts). europarl.europa

Impact on people living in the EU

How your money is used

• The €1.24 billion shown in your table is public money from the EU budget, ultimately funded by member‑state contributions (which come from national budgets and taxes). commission.europa
• The main uses inside the EU are:
  • Headquarters and delegations: salaries, security, buildings, and IT systems in Brussels and in EU delegations worldwide, which in turn shape EU positions on security, trade, and climate that affect EU citizens. eeas.europa
  • Foreign‑policy tools: the EEAS helps manage big instruments such as the European Peace Facility (rising from €12 to €17 billion in 2024, with €5 billion for military support to Ukraine), which affects how the EU responds to wars and security risks that may spill over into Europe. eeas.europa

What this means for your daily life

• Security and conflicts abroad: the EEAS negotiates sanctions, coordinates with NATO and allies, and supports peace efforts in places like Ukraine, Gaza and the Middle East; decisions made there can influence whether crises escalate or calm down, which in turn affects migration pressures, energy prices, and the risk of broader conflict. europarl.europa
• Disinformation and elections: the EUvsDisinfo campaign and FIMI work reported in the document aim to detect and expose hostile disinformation (especially from Russia), which helps protect the integrity of EU elections and public debate inside EU countries. eeas.europa
• Values and human rights: Parliament pushes the EEAS to strengthen support for human rights, democracy, and women’s rights in third countries, which can influence how the EU shapes trade agreements, migration deals, and visa policies that touch EU citizens. europarl.europa

Oversight and transparency

• Because the Parliament has approved the EEAS’s 2024 spending, EU citizens can be relatively confident that the EEAS did not waste the budget in a way that would be “materially” wrong (i.e., the error rate was low). europarl.europa
• At the same time, the Parliament’s recommendations (for example on late payments, staff protection, and procurement transparency) mean future budgets will be under closer watch, which can help keep EU diplomacy more efficient and accountable for ordinary people. europarl.europa

Impact on people living outside the EU

In countries where the EU has delegations

• The 145 EU delegations are the EU’s main diplomatic presence in many countries; they influence how the EU allocates foreign‑aid money, trade deals, and visa policies, which can affect jobs, prices, and access to EU markets for non‑EU citizens. eeas.europa
• In fragile or conflict‑affected states, the EEAS helps coordinate humanitarian aid, peace missions, and political dialogue; for example, strong EU support for Ukraine and for Palestinian humanitarian aid directly affects the living conditions of people in those regions. europarl.europa

Human‑rights and democracy support

• Parliament stresses that the EEAS should back human‑rights defenders and civil‑society actors in third countries, which can help activists, journalists, and minority groups push for better governance and protection of rights. europarl.europa
• The focus on FIMI and disinformation also aims to weaken hostile campaigns that target not only EU citizens but also voters and media in partner countries, especially in the EU’s neighbourhood and enlargement candidates. europarl.europa

Cuba and other politically sensitive cases

• The document notes that the EEAS has not triggered suspension clauses in the EU–Cuba agreement despite serious human‑rights problems; this means that EU cooperation (including some funding and political dialogue) continues, which may affect Cuban citizens’ access to EU‑supported projects while keeping diplomatic channels open. europarl.europa