The EU just throws too much money around without checking.

I've seen whole parks being built with a huge sign saying funded by the EU but they never opened or even built an entrance to it. Because that would mean maintenance and the subsidy had already been cashed.

I don't think it's corruption per se on the part of the EU (it is on the builders' part of course). But rather a lack of interest in how the money is spent.

That is difficult to disagree with when I see this:

> The suburb of Budapest has built a luxurious kindergarten that suspiciously looks like a private residence - with €550K of EU money. It doesn't accept any children.

https://www.reddit.com/r/europe/comments/1ejr4a8/the_suburb_...

When they throw hundreds of thousands of Euros around, without having the competence for spending a fraction of that for checking that it is used as intended, then they shouldn't have that ability.

I saw an asphalted road on the mountain ridge, along the E-3 hiking route, in a national reserve territory, with a EU funding sign saying that it was built for the benefit of the local species.

The road leads to a chalet, and the only one who it benefits is the chalet's owner, it makes it easier for his drunkard customers to drive right to it with zero walking involved.

Such projects are EU funded but in fact implemented through national or regional programmes agreed by the regional authorities... So it's usually at that level that favouritism or corruption plays in.

The point is that the EU funders of course know this and turn a blind eye in order to keep the people in power in the regions supporting the EU. It's just how it has always been in Europe with vassals. Feudalism has always been the government of the old world, and will always be, and the people will always love it. Now get back to work so you can afford your rent or your mortgage. Funny how most all the ancestors of Europeans worked their whole life to pay the mortgage, yet it's still not paid!