"BRUSSELS - The European Union missed its target to spend 20% of its pre-2020 budget on fighting climate change and overstated its green spending to claim that the goal had been met, the European Court of Auditors said on Monday.

The EU had pledged to spend at least 20% of its 2014-2020 budget on measures to limit climate change, and by its own account hit that goal exactly, spending 216 billion euros ($232.8 billion) in the period.

The auditors said, however, that the EU had overstated its climate spending by at least 72 billion euros and the actual figure was likely to have been 144 billion euros, equating to 13% of the total budget."

Kate Abnett reports for Reuters May 30, 2022. [2]