The European Union’s budget watchdog warns the bloc’s overall debt could rise to €1 trillion by 2027. In its annual report reviewing EU spending, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) links the outlook to Europe’s post-pandemic borrowing and long-term financial support for Ukraine.
The report also points to continuing problems in how EU funds are managed. Euronews reports that auditors found 3.8% of spending in the previous year breached funding rules. The ECA cautions that weaknesses seen during the COVID-era recovery period could reappear under the next long-term EU budget cycle.
Across the coverage, outlets stress that debt concerns are tied to both the scale of recent spending and the effectiveness of controls. Euronews adds that the European Commission defends its current safeguards, while the auditors maintain that errors in spending compliance remain a risk.
