Controversial Billionaire Musk's Companies Receive Millions in EU Funding, Despite Criticism
European Finance Granted to Trump's Ally Musk - Tesla and SpaceX billionaire Elon Musk, a close associate of former U.S. President Trump, commercially benefits from millions of Euros in EU funds
Hey there! Let's dive into the hot topic of EU funding for companies owned by tech mogul Elon Musk, despite his contentious relationship with the EU.
Elon Musk, known for his ties to controversial figures like Donald Trump and his support for political parties like Germany's AfD, has his companies profiting from EU funds in the tens of millions. According to a letter from the EU Commission to a German Green MEP, Daniel Freund, a Tesla subsidiary is set to receive nearly €159 million from the "Connecting Europe" funding program to construct electric vehicle charging stations.
SpaceX, another company under Musk's control, has billed around $197 million (approximately €177 million) for launching satellites for the European Galileo navigation system using Falcon 9 rockets. Additionally, around €630,000 was paid for advertising on the platform X, now called Twitter, until October 2023.
German Green MEP Freund calls for an immediate stop to payments to companies linked to or controlled by Musk. In his words, "This man is an outspoken adversary of the EU and our fundamental values. It's not right that we still dish out hundreds of millions in subsidies to the richest man in the world."
The European Commission's letter to Freund reveals no paid services from Twitter have been utilized since October 2023. Regarding the contracts for the two rocket launches, each carrying two Galileo satellites, the Commission attributes the decision to delays in the European carrier rocket, Ariane 6's operation.
In 2024, SpaceX is set to rake in approximately $197 million (€177 million) for these satellite launches. Tesla stands to receive around €159 million ($176 million) from the Connecting Europe program, and Twitter garnered €630,000 for advertising before the EU suspended its advertising service with the platform in October 2023.
The EU Commission's letter to Freund mentions the publicly accessible financial transparency system (FTS), with a caveat that the data for the 2024 financial year will not be published until June 2025. A Commission spokesperson stated on Tuesday that they would revisit the available data again.
This funding has led to consternation due to Musk's criticisms of EU digital policies and his support for Donald Trump, which has had a detrimental impact on EU-US relations and drawn criticism from EU lawmakers. At the moment, it remains uncertain whether this list of funding recipients is complete. However, many entities obtain funds from the EU budget.
- Despite Elon Musk's controversial ties and criticism of EU digital policies, his companies continue to receive significant funding from EU programs, such as the "Connecting Europe" funding for electric vehicle charging stations and the Galileo navigation system satellite launches.
- The ongoing funding of Elon Musk's companies, like Tesla, SpaceX, and Twitter, has ignited a debate among EU lawmakers, particularly given Musk's support for political parties like Germany's AfD and his contentious relationship with the EU, leading some to call for an immediate halt to such subsidies.
