This week in Bureau Brussels: 🔬 Israel’s EU research funding cut by half ⚖️ Why is the “simplified” supply chain law still so complex? 🤖 Europe’s transparency promises meet Big Tech lobbying

This week at Follow the Money, we exposed: 💳 Far-right groups selling merch via PayPal ⚖️ EU Court judges' financial interests 🎙️ Europe’s Palantir dilemma 🚢 First images of an armed Russian gas tanker Plus: an Irish-linked suicide forum and lobbying against toxic pesticide export bans.

This week in Crime & Corruption: - EU anti-fraud office keeps its black box shut - The EU’s crypto wild west faces new legislation - Prosecutors seek to lift an former EU commissioner’s immunity in Qatargate

The controversial US company Palantir provides critical software to intelligence agencies, armed forces, and police services across Europe. While European governments are growing increasingly uneasy about the firm, European investors are doubling down on their investments.

EU Court of Justice judges often have financial interests in the industries they oversee, an investigation by @investigate-europe.eu has found. More than 40% hold shares or other interests in companies such as AstraZeneca and BNP Paribas while ruling on cases linked to those sectors.

This week in Bureau Brussels: - EU moves to open Dutch pensions, but change may be slow - A Congolese national park turns 100. Belgium throws the party - The Ombudswoman criticises year-long delay over research funding documents

European seas have long been part of the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield, but newly released photographs reveal something never seen before: a Russian tanker sailing across the Baltic Sea with heavy machine guns on board. “It’s a message to NATO: don’t touch this ship.”

PayPal pledged to fight hate and extremism. Yet a far-right group sold mugs reading “FOREIGN R*PISTS OUT” through its services. Our investigation shows how extremists across Europe are raising money on the platform, amid fears that a greater reliance on AI could further weaken moderation.

This week at Follow the Money: 💬 EU Ombudswoman probes senior leaders' secret chat after our report 🌍 Iran war may spike hunger far beyond UN estimates 🐟 El Niño & wild-caught feed threaten aquaculture 🎙️ New podcast on a massive VAT fraud scheme 🕵️ Partner scoop: Chrome extension spying risks

45 million people could be plunged into ‘acute hunger’. That’s what the UN World Food Programme predicted. But that figure could be a gross underestimate. FTM’s analysis suggests a much deeper, more systematic crisis that is unfolding across the global food system.

What began as an investigation into a suspicious smartphone trader quickly spiralled into one of Europe's biggest VAT fraud cases. The scheme allegedly involved thousands of companies, hundreds of suspects, and €2.9 billion in lost tax revenue. FTM's @salsabilfayed.bsky.social followed the trail.

Aquaculture is booming and supermarket shelves are full of farmed fish. But many still rely on feed made from wild-caught fish. As supplies shrink, a looming Super El Niño could worsen shortages. Meanwhile, fish once feeding local communities are increasingly diverted to wealthier markets.

News alert: Ursula von der Leyen’s in hot water over text messages once again! Just earlier this month, the European Ombudsman told her not to auto-delete texts. Today, the watchdog is opening an inquiry into how VDL handled a confidential group chat with Starmer, Zelensky, Macron and other leaders.

What was said in Ursula von der Leyen’s secret EU leaders’ group chat? The Commission refused to release the messages, and now the European Ombudsman is investigating whether our request for access to the so-called “Washington Group” chat was mishandled.

This week in Bureau Brussels: 📱 The Belgian probe into Huawei lobbying gets torpedoed 📪 Fewer documents are being requested from the European Commission, but deliveries are still delayed 🧑‍💻 Is the Commission’s anti-fraud strategy leaving the door open for tech-savvy fraudsters?

Only six months left. By then, all EU countries have to have their own forms of digital ID. While some are creating apps that will protect the country’s digital sovereignty, others – like the Netherlands and Italy – are developing systems that rely on US tech giants like Apple and Google.

Perception is rarely reality. This week’s Crime & Corruption newsletter looks at the European Court of Auditors’ legal defeat after blocking staff testimony in a fraud investigation, and the questions it raises. We also track corruption cases and accountability battles in the EU, the US, and beyond.

European prosecutors are investigating InnoEnergy, an EU-backed clean tech investor that has received €760 million in public funding. The probe follows a complaint by an entrepreneur who was once backed by the organisation and now alleges financial irregularities and fraud.

‘Disgusting profiteers’. When we reported that investors had wagered nearly $9 billion on rising food prices since the outbreak of the war in Iran, the backlash was fierce. But what role do speculators really play in the global food supply chain? www.ftm.eu/articles/for...

This week in Bureau Brussels: ❓ Why the Commission’s lobby disclosures leave questions unanswered ⛽ Seeking answers from Russia’s oil giant 🛡️The battle over Europe's defence future 🔗 Read the newsletter on our website or in the FTM app (free for 5 days): www.ftm.eu/newsletters/...

This week at Follow the Money: 🚢 Russia uses mercenaries keep its shadow fleet running 🚗 Europe’s ‘clean cars’ are linked to pollution in India 🎙US lobbying helped weaken the EU’s supply chain law Plus: a sanctions-linked logistics network and AI companion apps profiting from emotional attachment.

Europe is placing emphasis on eco-friendly vehicles in the name of a cleaner environment. But European-built cars, including electric models, may have a much larger environmental footprint than consumers realise. Parts manufacturing is polluting regions of India so severely that crops are failing.

In a rare clash between two EU watchdogs, the EPPO has emerged victorious. The bloc’s independent prosecutor sued the ECA for refusing to allow a dozen of its staff to testify in an ongoing fraud investigation involving the institution’s former president, Klaus-Heiner Lehne.

The EU’s flagship corporate sustainability law was meant to hold companies accountable for abuses in their supply chains. Journalist Hans Wetzels obtained leaked documents suggesting efforts to weaken it were driven in part by pressure from Washington.

Russia’s shadow fleet relies on a hidden workforce: former soldiers, intelligence operatives, and mercenaries. We identified 83 Russian security guards aboard oil tankers and spoke to some of the men helping protect the trade that funds Putin’s war in Ukraine.

NEW: The Moroccan Banque Central Populaire (BCP) today reached a €175 million (‼️) settlement with Belgian prosecutors, who were investigating the bank and its French subsidiary, Chaabi Bank, over alleged illegal banking activities in Belgium. Read more on @ftm.eu www.ftm.eu/articles/mor...

This week in Bureau Brussels: 🔍 The EU’s right to know problem 🛡️European Parliament shields three members from Huawei corruption probe 🇮🇸 Iceland’s accession referendum faces interference fears 🤖 A €500 million boost for US artificial intelligence platform

This week at Follow the Money: 🔎 The Ombudswoman ruled the Commission mishandled our request for deleted texts 🎙️ A podcast on investors betting on rising food prices amid the Iran war 🕵️ An interview with Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins ⚖️ Volkswagen won a long-running Dieselgate court battle

⚡ EU watchdog warns against mass deletion of leaders' texts📱 Ursula von der Leyen is under fire once again over her texting. This time, the European Ombudsman told the Commission chief to stop auto-deleting her texts with EU leaders. Read the scoop (gift link): www.ftm.eu/articles/eu-...

Ursula von der Leyen and her fellow commissioners shouldn’t auto-delete text messages, the European Ombudswoman has decided. Even after Pfizergate, the EC President kept using the disappearing messages function on Signal to communicate with EU leaders like Emmanuel Macron. And that needs to change.

Russian bots have turned him into a deepfake. He avoids travelling to the US over fears he could be on a watchlist. In an interview with Follow the Money, @bellingcat.com founder @eliothiggins.bsky.social explains why, after years of high-stakes investigations, “the paranoia gets to you”.

Perception is rarely reality. This week’s Crime & Corruption newsletter examines Germany’s anti-corruption reputation, the legal battle over a new US “loyalist fund”, and the growing web of EU subsidy fraud and political arrests across the Mediterranean.

The Iran war's impact may extend far beyond oil and gas. Investors have poured billions into agricultural commodities, betting on rising food prices. What could this mean for the world's food systems?

Volkswagen has paid at least €31 billion over Dieselgate. Yet the company spent nearly a decade fighting a Dutch fine of just €450,000 over allegations that it misled diesel car buyers. Today, it won that legal battle.

We kick off June with a fresh edition of Bureau Brussels: 🪙 Europe considers a euro-backed stablecoin as dollar crypto dominates 💬 Brussels prepares talks with Taliban officials over deportations ⚡ Dutch consumers could end up footing a €246 billion electricity grid bill

Cloudflare protects a quarter of the internet from cyberattacks, including Follow the Money. The downside? The US tech giant needs access to an enormous amount of sensitive data to do so. That’s why we’re switching to a European alternative.

Where does Follow the Money’s revenue come from, and how is it spent? Supported by more than 50,000 members, we are able to operate with full independence. Trust must be matched by transparency, which is why we publish an annual report.

Trump and Netanyahu share a “grotesque” post-war vision for Gaza. Yet Tony Blair is trying to sell this dream in Europe, using his Tony Blair Institute for Global Change – a non-profit considered “a think tank with a lot of problematic friends”.

No one can ignore what's at stake when it comes to reliance on American tech. That's why FTM wants to become more digitally resilient. Project lead Erik Willems will be spearheading this transition. Find out who he is and what his approach is in this first issue of the Digital Autonomy newsletter.

In case you missed our article about Manfred Weber’s (big fat Greek) raid on the European People’s Party, I just discussed it with @emmaduchatinier.bsky.social for the @ftm.eu podcast ⤵️

Manfred Weber is one of the most powerful lawmakers in Brussels. Under his leadership, Europe’s top political family hired two consultants, and paid them more than €500,000 in six months. Journalist Simon Van Dorpe discovered this affair, and discusses it in our latest podcast episode.

This week in Bureau Brussels: 🚗 Europe’s anti-emissions-cheating rules face a test drive 📱 EU leader’s exclusive group chat remains under wraps 🤖 The future could mean trusting AI with your money 🔗 Read the latest newsletter on our website or on our app (free for 5 days) www.ftm.eu/newsletters/...

This week, we investigated a VAT fraud network and Nissan’s post-Dieselgate emissions systems. We also released a podcast on underpaid migrant workers in the Netherlands. Meanwhile, partners uncovered alleged visa trafficking tied to the Czech embassy in Morocco, and controversial spyware in Greece.

European investigators have uncovered what may be one of the largest VAT fraud schemes in Europe. In Portugal alone, nearly €80 million vanished through fake invoices and the exploitation of Amazon. Authorities believe the network may be just the tip of the iceberg for similar fraud operations.

For over 14 years, the Dutch economy quietly relied on underpaying temporary workers from abroad – in direct breach of EU law. Now, the entire issue could be heading to court. FTM journalist @lise-witteman.bsky.social unpacks her investigation in our latest podcast 👇

Anti-corruption promises mean little without the people and resources to enforce them. This week in Crime & Corruption: Belgium boosts financial crime probes, a Portuguese VAT fraud case exposes a wider network exploiting Amazon’s Luxembourg HQ, and the EU advances new anti-corruption rules.

Dieselgate was meant to be a wake-up call for Europe after Volkswagen admitted using illegal software to cheat pollution tests. But documents obtained by FTM reveal Nissan continued producing diesel cars with similar emissions-control systems years later – and never received a fine.

This week in Bureau Brussels: 🔫 A controversial arms executive returns to the spotlight 📱 The Ombudsman slams the Commission for shielding X 🌱 The Greens and chemical industry align on Europe’s industrial future

This week: a Dutch supermarket giant routing millions through Switzerland, billions being bet on rising food prices during the Iran war, and a podcast on Senegalese leaders caught up in an EU-funded migration crackdown. Partners also traced a missing €36m gold fortune linked to Germany’s far right.

How can a supermarket chain make hundreds of millions of euros in profit with zero stores? That’s exactly what grocery giant Ahold Delhaize did in Switzerland. The Dutch company pays far less tax there than it would at home in the Netherlands.