Personnel costs ‘main source of error’ in €35bn EU R&D schemes

Auditors clear accounts of the nine EU public-private Joint Undertakings, but find room for improvement

Auditors have signed off the 2020 accounts of the EU’s Joint Undertakings—nine public-private R&D partnerships in areas including medicines development, fuel cells and clean aviation—but with recommendations for improvements.

Personnel costs were “the main source of errors” for the Joint Undertakings, which manage financial resources totalling about €35 billion, the auditors found. These errors included the use of incorrect calculation methods, unjustified claims and incorrect currency exchange rates.