Unfiltered Take: EU Funding for Elon Musk's Enterprises
EU grants awarded to Musk's companies, totaling millions in funding.
Elon Musk's empire, riddled with controversy, has pocketed a hefty sum from the EU over the years, courtesy of questionable associations and conduct. Here's a lowdown on the known fiscals.
- Tesla: Under the “Connecting Europe” funding program, Tesla bagged a cool €159 million to construct charging stations for electric vehicles across the EU.
- SpaceX: SpaceX cashed in €177 million, equivalent to roughly $197 million, for launching satellites for the European Galileo navigation system using the mighty Falcon 9 carrier rockets. Additionally, the European Union paid SpaceX a meager €630,000 for advertising on the X platform until October 2023.
Critics Bay: "No Moolah for EU-Hostile Billionaires!"
Politician Daniel Freund, a member of the Greens, has come gunning for halting payments to ventures overseen by the billionaire Musk. "With his antipathy towards the EU and our core values, it's nothing short of scandalous that this chap continues to rake in hundreds of millions in subsidies," Freund thundered.
Musk's EU Controversies
To sustain the narrative that Musk is a menace to society, he has backed US President Donald Trump and open-ly supported Germany's far-right party, the AfD. Consequently, probes are underway to investigate how X complies with EU guidelines for digital services, alleging a failure to check and curb hate speech and disinformation.
The EU Commission has asserted that no services from X have been sought since October 2023. Regarding the contracts with SpaceX for two rocket launches to launch two Galileo satellites each, the Commission claimed it was a one-time arrangement due to Ariane 6's delays.
As per the Commission's letter to Freund, the complete picture might not be fully disclosed yet. The Commission alluded to the publicly accessible financial transparency system (FTS) and mentioned that the information for the 2024 fiscal year would only become available in June 2025.
The drama around the EU funding remains unresolved, with some wondering if these deals will continue or if it'll mark the end of the line for Musk's EU adventures.
Other political figures continue to debate the appropriateness of further general-news funding for Elon Musk's ventures, due to his controversial associations with various political parties and questionable compliance with EU guidelines for digital services. Critics argue that providing subsidies to EU-hostile billionaires like Musk could set a dangerous precedent, given his public support for controversial political figures.
