Read the full story for free today on Follow the Money EU (3/3) www.ftm.eu/articles/eu-... With @emmaduchatinier.bsky.social and @irpimedia.eu

This move is paralyzing one of the EU's key framework contracts for external action and casts uncertainty on IBF's future, as the company remains under criminal investigation by European prosecutors. (2/3)

⚡ The European Commission has once again suspended IBF International Consulting from bidding on new EU tenders for two years due to alleged "grave professional misconduct." IBF has challenged the decision before the EU General Court. (1/3)

S2E1 of the @ftm.eu podcast is out now! @sebasbrommersma.bsky.social & @tokmetzis.bsky.social explain how they revealed that data from Tinder can be used to track where soldiers are — and even find out where they live. open.spotify.com/episode/3Cfe...

🎧 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗧𝗠 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 | 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗪𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆! From military security exposed via Tinder to Big Tobacco and power in EU politics, we dig into investigations that hold power to account, with expert voices and great guests. Stream from tomorrow on our app, website and podcast platforms.

Met dank aan @marjonrozema.bsky.social van @amnesty.org / @amnestynl.bsky.social voor haar inzichten:

🎧 As 2025 wraps up, we’re revisiting our most-listened podcasts of the year. From Pfizergate and spyware to festival takeovers and fast fashion, these episodes sparked major conversations. We’ve curated special Spotify and YouTube playlists to revisit the highlights.

𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆? In this week’s @ftm.eu podcast, Thomas Bollen explains why money is not “real” in the way we think it is, how banks control around 90% of it, why reform keeps failing, and what democratic control would actually take: open.spotify.com/episode/5yGG...

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...?

Arrested in Italy. Wanted by the ICC for torture. Yet back in Libya as a free man within 48 hours. Our latest podcast with Lorenzo Bagnoli unpacks how migration politics may have overridden justice. 🎧 Listen now, free on our app for five days: www.ftm.eu/articles/pod...

In January, Italy arrested an alleged Libyan war criminal wanted for torture and crimes against humanity. 48 hours later, Almasri was flown home as a free man. Italy’s migration politics may have trumped international justice. Listen to our latest @ftm.eu podcast: open.spotify.com/episode/1hVB...

🇲🇦 ⚒️Morocco’s phosphate powers Europe’s food and EVs –but communities living beside the mines say they’re paying the price. 🎧 In our latest podcast, journalist Manon Stravens investigates a mining giant accused of poisoning land and putting workers at risk: www.ftm.eu/articles/pod...

“The CEO used to be an elite spy.” FTM journalist Sebastiaan Brommer reveals how European health and government data ended up with a U.S. firm tied to ex-Israeli intelligence – and the risks that poses. 🎧 Here's the latest episode: www.ftm.eu/articles/pod...

A “secure” messaging firm used by hospitals and courts across Europe can actually access users’ messages — and is now owned by a U.S. company run by former Israeli spies. In our newest episode of the @ftm.eu podcast, @sebasbrommersma.bsky.social explains it all: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/f...

"Between Flags", our documentary on the division of Cyprus and Turkey's growing influence on the island, is now available on YouTube - with English subs www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1y7...

Google, the world’s largest search engine operating three in four smartphones, has played Brussels like a fiddle – shaping laws, silencing rivals, and calling it "innovation". The chart shows how Big Tech bankrolls Brussels’ top think tanks. Read our latest story here: www.ftm.eu/articles/goo...

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...

Cyprus: a divided island with a dark history of violence and occupation. How do Greek and Turkish Cypriots find connection in a country where politicians would rather see them separated? Our very first documentary is out now on VRT MAX and airs this Friday on VRT Canvas: www.vrt.be/vrtmax/a-z/n...

Several suspects were arrested earlier this year in a NATO corruption scandal. Few months later, the US dropped charges against four of them —despite strong evidence. @jesse-pinster.bsky.social & @simonvandorpe.bsky.social dig into it in ep.16 of the @ftm.eu podcast: www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXl2...

In ep.15 of the @ftm.eu podcast, @jesse-pinster.bsky.social tells us all about how Viktor Orbán handed over Hungary's defence industry to one of his business allies. Watch/listen on YouTube and all podcast platforms: open.spotify.com/episode/7MAc...

🎙️New podcast: As Europe ramps up defence spending, Hungary’s Viktor Orbán has handed his country’s defence industry to a trusted ally. Journalist Jesse Pinster uncovers how EU funds and state assets are funnelled into Orbán’s inner circle – and why Brussels seems powerless to stop it. Listen now 👇

🏆 We’re honoured to receive the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism 2025 for our cross-border investigation The Shadow Fleet Secrets. Read the investigation here: www.ftm.eu/files/the-sh...

💥 Here’s what you need to know about #Natogate, the corruption scandal that broke today, in 10 skeets #bagsofcash #ammunition #NSPA (link to full stories below)

Three suspects (incl the CEO of a big Turkish arms company), involved in major bribery cases related to NATO, were about to be extradited from European jails to the U.S. But then something happened… Read our @ftm.eu investigation together with @lesoir.be @knack.be and La Lettre. #NatoGate

💰 𝗔 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗴𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲. €𝟭𝟱𝟬𝗠 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝗨 𝗮𝗶𝗱. 𝗕𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁. Virunga was meant to protect nature – instead, EU money helped fund a crypto-fuelled project in Congo. 🎧 Listen to our latest episode on our website, app and on major streaming services here: www.ftm.eu/articles/pod...

🇪🇺💰 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐔 𝐚𝐢𝐝. 𝐀 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐠𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞. 𝐀 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐨. What began as a conservation project to protect Virunga National Park became a story of conflict, broken promises – and Bitcoin mining in the rainforest. 🎙️ Journalist Olivier van Beemen investigates 👇 www.ftm.eu/articles/pod...

In ep.#14 of the @ftm.eu podcast, journalist @oli4vb.bsky.social reveals how over €150M in EU funds fueled a Belgian prince's failed conservation dream in Congo’s Virunga Park: open.spotify.com/episode/5AkN...

⚠️ Since the piece was published, 39 MEPs from 4 political groups have written to the @ec.europa.eu to express their "deep concerns" that EU subsidies, alongside national taxpayer funds, have directly financed #spyware companies.

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...

Op 14 oktober presenteert @brusselsenieuwe.bsky.social het grote Europawoordvoerders-verkiezingsdebat, gepresenteerd door Sander van Vliet, Bijou van der Borst, Yves Lacroix en mijzelf. Kom dat zien in @nieuwspoort.bsky.social: www.nieuwspoort.nl/programma/he...

Ep.11 of the @ftm.eu podcast: European companies are plundering Senegal's seas. Local fishermen’s nets are coming back empty. The culprit? European fishing companies. With livelihoods disappearing, many young West-Africans see no option but to migrate to Europe. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/f...

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.

In ep.10 of the @ftm.eu podcast, journalist James Imam tells us all about Meloni's €70M migration fiasco: alleged human rights abuses, half-empty hubs, ballooning costs and legal chaos. "Italians are paying for prisons in a foreign country that are leading to great suffering"

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...

Daniel Křetínský is a Czech billionaire businessman who built his fortune on coal – all the while receiving hundreds of millions of euros for green subsidies from the EU. In our latest podcast episode, journalists Hazel Sheffield and Sofia Cherici unpick his vast empire: www.ftm.nl/s/50a39

Veilige routes vergroten, gevaarlijke overtochten beperken – naar het Canadese voorbeeld. Dat is de verkiezingsinzet van @d66.nl op migratie. Maar kan dat wel in Europa? Voor @brusselsenieuwe.bsky.social sprak ik met @annemarijke.bsky.social over de nieuwe migratiekoers van haar partij:

2025 is a record-breaking year for claims filed by fossil fuel and mining firms against democratic policies – marking a grim milestone in a surge of polluting industries seeking compensation for lost profits via a secretive tribunal. For @ftm.eu with contributions by ao @anilyilmaz.bsky.social

Europe’s most powerful political party has picked an unexpected enemy: NGOs. After it claimed Brussels was secretly bankrolling green lobbyists, journalists Lise Witteman and Hans Wetzels found a very different story. Watch the full episode here: www.ftm.nl/s/f37b9

🎙️ Episode #7 of the @ftm.eu podcast: After the @eppgroup.bsky.social claimed Brussels was secretly funding green lobbyists, @lise-witteman.bsky.social & Hans Wetzels uncovered a very different story. The EPP is scapegoating NGOs as it backpedals on the Green Deal. 🔗 www.ftm.eu/articles/pod...

When French distributors faced a crop shortage, they used cheap Spanish bulk wine and falsely labeled it as Vin de France. Watch our latest podcast episode to find out how this "solution” quickly became one of the biggest wine frauds in recent years: www.ftm.eu/articles/pod...

Your “French” wine might not be French at all. 🍷 In episode #6 of the @ftm.eu podcast, journalist & wine connoisseur Barnaby Eales dives into how fraudsters passed off millions of litres of Spanish bulk wine as premium French bottles. www.ftm.eu/articles/pod...

Forever chemicals are everywhere, even in our drinking water. And they're not going anywhere. In this episode of FTM The Podcast, hosts Emma du Chatinier and Alexander Fanta discuss the risks of these chemicals with physicist Thomas Goorden. Watch the full episode here: lnkd.in/dyXYyACc

In episode #5 of the @ftm.eu podcast, investigative journalist Thomas Goorden reveals how the EU — swayed by industry lobbying — is disregarding alarming levels of “forever chemicals” in our food and drinking water: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/f...

Episode #4 of the @ftm.eu Podcast with @henkwillem.bsky.social and @salsabilfayed.bsky.social: How a vulture capitalist that profits from stolen Palestinian land got a hold of Europe's festivals, @boilerroom.tv, and many more cultural spaces. open.spotify.com/episode/5Vpb...

Episode #3 of the Follow the Money podcast is out now! @birteschohaus.bsky.social tells us how Western shipowners have made billions by selling rusty oil tankers to Russia’s shadow fleet — helping Putin dodge sanctions and fund his war in Ukraine. open.spotify.com/episode/3Agg...

A new episode of the @ftm_eu podcast is out! @alexfanta and @simonvandorpe unpack the Huawei corruption scandal that rocked Brussels. Available on FTM.EU, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts 👉 www.ftm.eu/articles/pod...

Who really pulls the strings in Europe? In our brand new podcast we uncover the hidden players shaping the continent. In the first episode, out now, we dive into the toxic tactics of fast fashion giant Shein. Reporter Yara van Heugten reveals how the Chinese app may be losing its shine.