Sitzen zwei Lyriker an der Bar. "Mir geht's so schlecht." "Wieso denn?" "Mein Leser ist gestorben. "

It's Ursula's texts once again. 🤳 The EU's official watchdog is investigating a text message sent by French president Emmanuel Macron to the commission president last year. Guess what, it just... disappeared. Some news that could spell trouble for the commission. 🧵

Tür 17 im Deregulierungs-Adventkalender

Bringing the disruption to Brussels: The European Commission encourages its managers to draft policy-making documents with AI, including "explaining/summarising legislative initiatives". According to a newly released Commission document, this will "boost your team's productivity". 🫢

How Telegram has avoided strict regulation by the EU From our latest newsletter: www.ftm.eu/newsletters/...

I spent years professionally trying to judge the newsworthiness of events. The sad truth - events are judged in a totally different way if they happen to rich people. We should fight that.

It has become received wisdom in Brussels and Washington that there is a new “euro-sclerosis”: that the EU economy is lagging the US This view is wrong A little primer on the measurement of productivity – and why reports of the economic death of Europe are greatly exaggerated🧵

The Russian dark fleet is going even darker! Read this new investigation of our international team of @ftm.eu @pointerkro-ncrv.bsky.social @tijd.be @vrtnws.be @recherche.ndr.de SZ and WDR www.ftm.eu/articles/swi...

Some truly scary news for transparency. In Brussels a draft law is slowly working its way through the legislative process that would classify most documents - and end access to EU information as we know it. Read more in our brand new Secrecy Tracker newsletter (free): www.ftm.eu/newsletters/...

𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘃𝘀 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗴𝗹𝗲: 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝘂𝗱? EU regulators say Google is abusing its dominance and distorting competition. In our latest podcast, we break down what our investigation found – and why the U.S. might step in to stop Brussels from acting. 🎧 Latest episode: youtu.be/o72231r4hLk

Is the EU about to break up Google? In the latest episode of the @ftm.eu podcast, @alexfanta.bsky.social and @simonvandorpe.bsky.social explain the controversial business tactics that put Google in Brussels’ crosshairs: open.spotify.com/episode/5s9U...?

The EU’s most exclusive diplomatic group chat remains an enigma – both too trivial to record, but also too secret to share with the public. From our Monday newsletter: www.ftm.eu/newsletters/...

🇪🇺📬What’s happening in this week’s Bureau Brussels? Diplomats face the music over a secret Signal groupchat, Serbia and the Balkan’s press freedom is on its last legs while the Commission appears unbothered despite ongoing risks of secrets leaking to China through notified bodies. Latest edition👇

The EU's foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas is under fire in the European Parliament over her use of a secret Signal group to share information with the EU foreign ministers. www.ftm.eu/articles/new...

Multifunktionär Harald Mahrer erhielt heuer den Professorentitel verliehen - für welche Leistungen hält das Wissenschaftsministerium aber geheim, aus Gründen des "Datenschutz". Ich habe nach IFG einen Antrag auf das Gutachten gestellt, sehr neugierig auf die Antwort: fragdenstaat.at/anfrage/guta...

Orban allies have bough Hungary's most read paper. The reason that is possible is because the EU failed to legislate against media concentration. Here is the inside story into the EU's historical blunder: www.ftm.eu/articles/hel...

🗃️ Why would Israel want access to Europeans’ data? FTM’s new podcast reveals how tech firm Zivver, trusted with Europe’s most sensitive information, allowed private messages to slip into the orbit of a U.S. company run by former Israeli intelligence officers. Listen here: www.ftm.eu/articles/pod...

The European Commission unduly protected Elon Musk’s social network X from public scrutiny, the European Ombudsman has found. The watchdog has asked the Commission to be more transparent about disclosures from companies under the EU's Digital Services Acts. New story: www.ftm.eu/articles/eu-...

Next Halloween I'll scare journalists and go as Chatham House ghouls

Revealing story by @alexfanta.bsky.social in @ftm.nl. "Over the past decade, Google lobbyists met with the Commission at least 420 times, and spent well over 60 million euros on lobbying" And with an open end, given Trump's tariff threats against enforcement. www.ftm.eu/articles/goo...

Last year, @alexfanta.bsky.social and I started collecting data on a decade of meetings between Google and the European Commission. Today, Alex shows how Google influenced people in Brussels to dominate the scene.

"Google told FTM that to obtain the support of law firms is common practice, and said its lobby spending was similar to those of other companies in the industry"

How Google won friends and influenced people - while slowly gobbling up a quarter of all ad revenue on the internet. Here's my look at two decades of Google’s ruthless tactics to secure its dominance. www.ftm.eu/articles/goo...

This has become a major problem. The Commission's genius move was to pretend to be more transparent - proactively publishing minutes of meetings with lobbyists since January - but in reality most of these minutes are meaningless. One I found literally says "discussion about general topics".

Three years after the Qatargate scandal shook the EU to its core, the European Parliament is quietly pushing back against Belgian authorities investigating allegations of wrongdoing among lawmakers. Here's why ⤵️ www.euractiv.com/news/investi...

Medienkritik ist kein Luxus – sondern die Voraussetzung für guten Journalismus! Wir suchen jetzt 1.000 Mitglieder, die Kobuk gut finden und wollen, dass es uns weiterhin gibt 👇 www.kobuk.at/unterstützen

Please support our independent investigative journalism and become a member >> www.ftm.eu/help-us-to-s...

Do I know anyone who has Statista Premium access and can help me find a source?

The European Commission launched a new AI strategy last week. But it barely mentioned the huge amount of energy gobbled up by AI, and the devastating environmental fallout. Find this in our latest newsletter: www.ftm.eu/newsletters/...

Is an MEP accused of bribery surprisingly wealthy, or up to the neck in debt? That would seem like a salient data point. But guess what, judicial investigators aren't even checking. Some depressing news from our Crime & Corruption newsletter: www.ftm.eu/newsletters/...

Really enjoyed speaking with @emmaduchatinier.bsky.social and @alexfanta.bsky.social on the @ftm.eu podcast about my investigation into 🇪🇺European funding for commercial #spyware companies. Thanks for having me! 🙏 📺 Watch: youtu.be/htXwY5KQzas?... 🎧 Listen: www.ftm.eu/articles/eur...

How the EU refuses to talk about its Israel policy, more secrecy on Big Tech policy, and a new uproar over Ursula's texts - today we publish a new edition of our Secrecy Tracker newsletter. 👏 @ftm.eu @investigate-europe.eu @euobserver.com Read it for free: www.ftm.eu/newsletters/...

Money well-spent? Die Industriellenvereinigung hat Boris Johnson voriges Jahr 50.000 Euro plus bis zu 25.000 Euro an Reisekosten für seinen umstrittenen Auftritt beim Salzburg Summit angeboten, wie aus geleakten Emails hervorgeht. Die Mail stammt aus dem Boris-Files-Leak...

Public money is funding spyware! With 39 MEPs from 4 political groups, we are writing to the @ec.europa.eu to express deep concerns following @ftm.eu revelations that EU financed spyware companies! This must stop! We call on full transparency and follow up on the PEGA committee recommendations!

The European Commission budgeted €1.8 million to develop its access to documents portal 'EASE'. But the technical system behind this modernised FOI platform has some limitations, @alexfanta.bsky.social and I learned when envelopes with USB sticks started arriving... www.ftm.eu/articles/wha...

So weird. No review of The Hack in either the Sun or the Times. Wonder why.

My comment on @politico.eu. The European Commission's explanation for Ursula von der Leyen deleting messages on instant messengers “due to lack of space” sounds bizarre in 2025. Security is important. But so is public transparency for officials. www.politico.eu/article/dele...

Yep, that was me again

Wir werden alle Datenfutter für die KI von LinkedIn (zu Microsoft zugehörig), wenn wir uns nicht wehren. LinkedIn nutzt das Opt-Out-Land Schweiz aus (ob EU weiss ich nicht). Und setzt den Toogle bei uns allen auf ON. Ja, es ist verdammt frech. Hier ⬇️aussteigen: www.linkedin.com/mypreference...

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni vowed to solve Italy’s migration challenges by building offshore migrant centres in Albania to process asylum seekers. Three years on, the hubs are half-empty, construction costs have ballooned into millions and courts keep stalling progress.

Our latest on the Huaweigata saga, and OLAF's failure to act years ago

In 2021, von der Leyen texted Pfizer’s CEO ahead of a multi-billion € vaccine deal. When @alexfanta.bsky.social asked to see the texts, the Commission refused. In episode #9 of the @ftm.eu podcast, we unpack #Pfizergate with @lise-witteman.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/f...

I appreciate the candor

When journalist Alexander Fanta requested access to text messages between Ursula von der Leyen and the CEO of Pfizer, the European Commission refused – and they have still never seen the light of day. In this episode, we unpack Pfizergate: the scandal that has dogged von der Leyen’s presidency.

So, Slovakia. Not a single left of center party that even has made it into a poll, let alone parliament. Why?

New banger from the Huaweigate investigation: How OLAF had a highly informed tip TWO YEARS before the corruption allegations broke, but FAILED TO DO ANYTHING about them. More details in our latest newsletter: www.ftm.eu/articles/ant...

Spannend: Das erste Dokument, dass durch das neue Informationsfreiheitsgesetz in Österreich öffentlich wird. Eine interne Anleitung für kommunale Beamte, die z.B. Eheschließungen vornehmen.

Ein Gesetz regelt das Machtgefälle zwischen Bürger und Republik neu – um es mit Leben zu füllen, braucht es Druck von der Zivilgesellschaft und mutige Entscheidungen von Gerichten, schreibt @alexfanta.bsky.social​ im Gastkommentar ↓

Investmentbanker Heinrich Pecina zerrt DOSSIER vor Gericht. Grund ist ein Porträt aus dem Magazin »Ungarn – eine Reise ans Ende der Demokratie«. Wie unsere Recherchen zu »Österreichs Orbánisierer« abgelaufen sind und was sie zur Folge haben? (1/2) 🔗 crowdfunding.dossier.at/index.php?id=2137

Great, incisive profile of a figure who certainly has ruffled feathers in Brussels. Many great details. Don't miss it.