EU millions for Elon Musk - even though he insults Europe?

Musk, the subsidy critic - suddenly a fan of EU funds?

Elon Musk, who rails loudly against subsidies, is cashing in big time himself: Two of his companies - Tesla and SpaceX - receive hundreds of millions in EU taxpayers' money. The explosive detail: Musk is anything but EU-friendly politically. He openly sympathizes with Donald Trump, praises the AfD and is under massive pressure with his platform X (formerly Twitter) for hate speech and disinformation.

But as a parliamentary question from Green MEP Daniel Freund has now brought to light, millions are nevertheless flowing from Brussels in Musk's direction - and in several ways.

159 million for Tesla, 177 million for SpaceX

The big news: Tesla's subsidiary is receiving around 159 million euros from the EU's Connecting Europe program - for the expansion of charging infrastructure. That sounds like climate protection, but it is above all a grant to one of the richest people in the world.

But there's more: according to the EU Commission, SpaceX received 177 million euros for the launch of European Galileo satellites with Falcon 9 rockets. The reason: the European Ariane 6 rocket is late - so Musk stepped in, with a hefty price tag. There were also smaller items such as around 630,000 euros for advertising on X - although the EU has not wanted to book anything with Musk since October 2023.

Brussels in need of explanation

The EU Commission defends itself: the contracts with SpaceX were an exception. And no advertisements had been placed with X for months. But even the Commission admits that the list is probably incomplete. The figures for 2024 will not be published until June. In plain language: there could be more.

Daniel Freund has had enough. The Green politician is calling for an immediate stop to all payments to Musk companies. His reasoning: "No EU money for the enemies of the EU." For many Europeans, it is difficult to understand why an avowed opponent of European values is also being strengthened with billions in aid from Brussels.

Musk - Billionaire with a contradiction

The whole thing is also so piquant because Elon Musk likes to present himself as an opponent of state aid. In the past, he has repeatedly publicly criticized subsidies as a distortion of the market - both in the USA and in Europe. Only when it comes to his own business does his stance seem flexible.

But Musk could do without the money: With a fortune of over 400 billion dollars, he is currently the richest person in the world. Tesla is valued at over one trillion dollars, SpaceX at around 350 billion - and Musk holds large shares in each.

Subsidies not a gift but a leap of faith

Subsidies are a leap of faith for society; those who receive them should not simultaneously agitate against its values, work against its institutions and undermine its rules. The fact that a man like Elon Musk, who operates disinformation platforms and fuels authoritarian tendencies, receives millions from the EU is not just embarrassing - it is extremely dangerous.

Subsidies for high-tech - yes. But not for anti-democrats. If someone repeatedly shows that they don't care about fundamental European values, they shouldn't benefit from European taxpayers' money either. And certainly not to the tune of billions.