EU agencies rebuked over spending

An MEP tasked with looking at how EU money is spent in the bloc's 24 independent agencies has caused a stir with her preliminary findings on conflicts of interest and questions about whether the agencies are useful.

With a total budget of €1.5 billion, some of the 24 independent agencies have real powers such as certifying chemicals in use in the EU or establishing binding aviation standards, others a purely advisory role on issues ranging from gender studies to health at work.

Th...