The Turkish government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has allegedly diverted hundreds of millions of euros in European Union aid to finance espionage operations across Europe, according to an investigative report by Nordic Monitor. The funds, initially intended to support Turkey’s accession process and political reforms aligned with EU standards, were reportedly funneled through shell companies to conceal their origins and fund covert intelligence activities.
According to the report, between 2014 and 2024, Turkey received around €4 billion from a total envelope of €14.32 billion allocated for pre-accession assistance from 2021 to 2027. However, confidential sources indicate that part of this funding was illegally channeled into front companies operating within EU countries, supporting Ankara’s surveillance and intelligence missions abroad.
These shell companies issued fake invoices and maintained falsified accounting records to obscure the source of their income. In a letter dated June 16, Hakan Fidan, Turkey’s Foreign Minister and former head of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), revealed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spent €339.9 million from EU funds during this period, while the Interior Ministry used €327.9 million for similar purposes.
The report also highlights how Fidan, since assuming office in the summer of 2023, has restructured the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, placing numerous intelligence officials in key positions and expanding the role of the Research and Information Directorate. As a result, Turkish embassies and consulates have increasingly functioned as hubs for covert operations.