Some EU-funded airports a sham

According to a release from the European Court of Auditors, a lack of adequate planning and forecasting has resulted in underused airports. The airports saw EU subsidies funneled to their construction and ultimately turned out to be unsustainable. "We found that some airports were not profitable in the long term, some were underused and some were not used at all," commented George Pufan, the ECA Member responsible. Auditors checked 20 airports in Estonia, Greece, Italy, Poland and Spain. A total of €600 million was committed to the construction of these airports since 2000. Only half of the airports under investigation showed a need for EU-funded investment. Some €38 million of infrustructure wasn't being used at all. Poland has had its share of regional airports built with many pundits questioning the need for such an investment.