The European Union has allocated hundreds of millions of euros to the richest man on the planet - Elon Musk, who is known for his close relationship with former US President Donald Trump and his sharp criticism of the EU. The funding is aimed at various projects - from charging stations for electric cars to launching satellites, Agence France-Presse reported, BTA reports.
The European Commission made the information public after a request from an MEP.
According to a list seen by AFP, Musk received around 159 million euros in 2023 to develop the network of chargers for Tesla electric cars in Europe. Additionally, the EU has signed a contract with his company SpaceX to launch satellites in 2024, worth $197 million (approximately 177 million euros), as part of the development of the European Galileo satellite system.
Until October 2023, the European Commission also ran paid advertising on the social network X (formerly Twitter), which Musk acquired in the spring of that year.
“This is unacceptable!“ - said Daniel Freund, a German MEP from the “Greens“ group, who submitted the inquiry. He urged the Commission to immediately stop funding Musk, whom he called “an open enemy of the EU and our fundamental values“.
Musk regularly accuses the EU of censorship, especially after the European Commission launched an investigation into X for violating digital services regulations. In recent months, he has also repeatedly intervened in European politics, including through open support for far-right political forces in Germany, Agence France-Presse recalls.