A mussel farm in Bulgaria that received EU funding may not exist at all, European prosecutors said on October 20, after an underwater inspection found only sand where the farm was supposed to be.

The case shows how EU money can be stolen with fake documents and little oversight, wasting public funds and harming trust in EU programmes meant to support real local projects.

This particular project, approved in July 2020, was meant to grow black mussels in the Black Sea, southeast of Cape Emine in the Burgas region. It received €280,230, mostly from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, with the rest coming from Bulgaria’s national budget.

But a recent inspection by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), using drones and divers, found no signs of mussel farming equipment such as ropes, chains or pipes on the 240,000 square metre site — just sand. Only three surface buoys were found, and they were not connected.

“The underwater footage revealed no farm infrastructure,” the EPPO said in a statement.

Earlier checks in 2021 had already raised questions. Inspectors found boundary markers but said they couldn’t confirm the farm's existence due to lack of underwater equipment. A scientific expert listed as the author of the farm’s technical plan also denied being involved, according to the EPPO.

The project was declared operational in July 2021, two months before its final deadline.

The investigation is ongoing, with support from Bulgarian police. No charges have been filed, and all those involved are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.