In its report on the 2008 EU budget, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) has refused to sign off on how the money from the EU’s 2008 budget had been spent. While saying that the overall situation is improving, the Court noted that a number of spending areas in the budget are still “materially affected by errors”.

The European Court of Auditors will today publish its annual report on the EU’s accounts. As in previous years, the Auditors are expected to highlight widespread problems with fraud and mismanagement in the EU’s spending programmes. The News of the World reported on Open Europe’s briefing published yesterday detailing 100 examples of misuse of EU money.

Open Europe’s ranking of all 785 MEPs continues to receive coverage. Open Europe’s Research Director Mats Persson appeared on CNBC’s Europe Tonight show, discussing the findings of the report. The ranking was also mentioned on this morning’s BBC Breakfast Show, in the Scotsman, and several other European and regional newspapers.

Open Europe’s new report on the EU’s climate change and energy package, expected to cost £9bn a year and push one million more people into fuel poverty, is covered in the Telegraph and on carbon industry website Point Carbon. Open Europe’s Hugo Robinson is quoted arguing that “we will pay far more than necessary in fighting climate change; or put another way, we could...

The Sunday Express reported on Open Europe’s new report – “How the EU is watching you – the rise of Europe’s surveillance state”, published today, which argues that when the Lisbon Treaty is ratified, the EU will be able to accelerate a raft of controversial new proposals which are set to radically increase the EU’s role in policing, criminal and security ...

Open Europe’s report on the EU’s AIFM Directive continues to receive coverage. The report, published yesterday, found that the hedge fund and private equity industry contributed €9 billion in tax revenues to EU governments in 2008, and that the proposed Directive would cost EU-based firms in the two industries between €1.

A new report from Open Europe has found that 170,000 people are needed to run the EU, as opposed to the 32,000 that the EU Commission claims. Open Europe analyst Nick Cosgrove was quoted by the Telegraph, Mail and De Telegraaf as saying, "The Commission desperately tries to play down just how many people are now working for the EU.

It was interesting to read yet another authoritative report from the House of Lords EU committee, this time on the future of European Regional Policy, but with unusual entertainment values as it contained some magisterial rebukes of the eurosceptic pressure group Open Europe. Amongst the Lords' conclusions were that the EU structural funds, though not without fault, were "effective and, in

Dropping into my inbox this week was an invite to attend an Open Europe event called ‘EU communication policy: biased propaganda?’. A bit rich! Despite styling themselves as an ‘independent think tank’, Open Europe consistently produces what can only be described as biased propaganda. By misleading and using selective quoting Open Europe, with a helping hand from the media, very successful...

Once in a while Open Europe’s daily press summary contains a gem among the constant Jeremiads. One example was Ulrich Beck's article in the Guardian This economic crisis cries out to be transformed into the founding of a new Europe (13 April 2009). Recommended reading for all and sundry. More Europe and why. Ralf Grahn