To be clear: This is funding for what the State Department calls "civilizational allies" - MAGA-aligned people and parties in Europe, who share their disdain for human rights and their preference for ethnically pure societies and a totally unregulated internet

If you're active in the Brussels bubble, you might have bumped into this EU veteran. Now, you'll know his story. Meet the talented Mr. Rübig www.ftm.eu/articles/aus...

Als het regent in Washington, dan druppelt het in Brussel #reflectingpool #beurs

Anytime any respectable journalist mentions our two chief negotiators with Iran, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, they should note both receive sizeable paychecks from Middle Eastern nations with deep equities in these talks. It is a fundamental corruption.

The far-right Patriots for Europe (PfE) group has allegedly misspent almost €280,000 in EU funds.

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.

🕵️ A @europarl.europa.eu vote to shield 3 MEPs from criminal scrutiny risks calling into question Belgium's role to investigate bribery and foreign interference in Brussels. ➡️@ftm.eu's newsletter with reactions from @davidcormand.bsky.social and @repasi.bsky.social www.ftm.eu/articles/cri...

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.

The big news of today's #Huaweigate vote was NOT that @europarl.europa.eu lifted the immunity of Fulvio #Martusciello ⚡ but that it refused to waive the immunity of 3 other MEPs, saying there could be "fumus persecutionis" meaning Belgian prosecutors would've tried to politically damage MEPs 🧵 ⤵️

The big news of today's #Huaweigate vote was NOT that @europarl.europa.eu lifted the immunity of Fulvio #Martusciello ⚡ but that it refused to waive the immunity of 3 other MEPs, saying there could be "fumus persecutionis" meaning Belgian prosecutors would've tried to politically damage MEPs 🧵 ⤵️

Tim Miller nailed it: "What a way to celebrate America 250 and the twilight of liberal democracy." 😢

Now updated with statements of European chief prosecutor Laura KövesI and Transparency International ⚡️

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.

In a rare clash between two EU watchdogs, EU prosecutors emerged victorious. The EPPO sued the European Court of Auditors for refusing to allow a dozen of its staff to testify in an ongoing fraud probe involving the ECA’s former president. www.ftm.eu/articles/eu-... Full story on @ftm.eu

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...

⚡ 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-...

The Europe of Sovereign Nations party risks being banned for failing to uphold EU values -- a bombshell development in the quiet world of #europeanparties. Is this acceptable? Is this censorship? Here is a thread to know more.. in only 38 posts! 👇 1/38 via @politico.eu and @maxgriera.bsky.social

Tony Blair, who once led Britain into Iraq, is quietly trying to sell Trump’s Gaza to European governments. Here's how that is going (🎁 link): www.ftm.eu/articles/ton...

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 ⤵️

If the Greek government is sincere about leaving no stone unturned, it would not shut out EPPO from a case that people deeply care about. Mitsotakis actively avoids EPPO involvement, and I wonder what @eppgroup.bsky.social thinks of this. Justice is not about protecting your own.

Twee Amerikanen zijn veroordeeld tot een schadevergoeding van 13,3 miljoen euro omdat ze de Belgische schatkist voor een monsterbedrag hebben opgelicht. Al sinds 2018 onderzoekt @tijd.be met buitenlandse media zoals @ftm.eu / @simonvandorpe.bsky.social de #CumExFiles. www.tijd.be/politiek-eco...

They claimed millions in tax refunds for dividends that had never been paid out. Now, two American tax specialists have been convicted of defrauding the Belgian state. According to the judges, they forged documents to claim back dividend tax on Belgian shares, even though they had never owned them.

💸 Reclaiming dividend tax on shares they never owned. That is how 2 American financiers ripped 🇧🇪 off in the latest "CumEx" tax fraud case. The court ordered them to pay 13,3 million plus interests in damages. But their biggest trial (in Denmark) is yet to come... www.ftm.eu/articles/bel...

Record losses or not: InnoEnergy kept rewarding its leadership with bonuses. Its CEO and CFO have received almost €4 million on top of their salaries, raising “moral reservations” with experts. The EU-backed clean tech fund has come under scrutiny before for making “fishy” climate claims.

🔥 More details about Didier Reynders' alleged money laundering: "The transactions involved 245 cash deposits made between 2001 and 2017, worth a combined €836,500, as well as 779 e-Lotto transfers between 2017 and 2024 amounting to more than €202,000." 👀

“The European Parliament refused to reimburse the costs, but where is the investigation?” Reactions to yesterday's revelations about EPP consultants from MEPs @chloe-ridel.fr (S&D), @raquelgarciaher.bsky.social (Renew) and Greens co-chair @vulatsetsi.bsky.social www.ftm.eu/articles/eu-...

“This case is further proof of the urgent need to strengthen rules and #transparency around the use of public money in Europe,” García Hermida-van der Walle said. “It shows the system needs reform, and why I support an independent EU #ethics body.”

Good and necessary reporting of @ftm.eu @ftm.nl @simonvandorpe.bsky.social

Follow-up piece by @simonvandorpe.bsky.social/@ftm.eu www.ftm.eu/articles/eu-...

💥 Read our latest investigation into the wildly expensive consultants of the European People's Party and how the matter was resolved, but many questions remain... for free today on @ftm.eu www.ftm.eu/articles/eur...

After Manfred Weber took over as president, the European People’s Party hired two advisors with deep connections to Greece's ruling party, racking up over half a million euros in costs for the EU party in just six months. www.ftm.eu/articles/eur...

💥 Read our latest investigation into the wildly expensive consultants of the European People's Party and how the matter was resolved, but many questions remain... for free today on @ftm.eu www.ftm.eu/articles/eur...

Breaking News: President Trump is said to have fired Attorney General Pam Bondi as his frustration with her performance deepened. nyti.ms/4sPYIsM

The Dutch industry has enriched itself at the expense of temporary agency workers - many of them originating from fellow EU countries - against the principle of equal treatment as enshrined in EU law. Billions of euros are now at stake 👇 www.ftm.eu/articles/net...

Read the defense of EU lawmaker Fulvio Martusciello against his alleged involvement in #Huaweigate in full on @ftm.eu. With @alistairkeepe.bsky.social www.ftm.eu/articles/hua...

News! www.ftm.eu/articles/hua... @simonvandorpe.bsky.social

News on the Huawei corruption case! With @simonvandorpe.bsky.social

‼️ EU institutions are blocking several corruption investigations from the EPPO and Belgian prosecutors, using their reputation as an argument. An upcoming EU General Court judgement is expected to set an important legal precedent in this battle. Read more in @ftm.eu's latest newsletter ⤵️

Dear @politico.eu @gabrielgavin.bsky.social @maxgriera.bsky.social if you copy @ftm.eu reporting, it'd be nice to mention the original source

Deze Israëlische zakenman verdiende zo’n miljard met omkoping via Nederland. Van het OM mag hij 99,97% houden. www.ftm.nl/artikelen/is...

A year ago, the Huaweigate scandal rocked Brussels. But the prosecution of MEPs allegedly involved has hit a few roadblocks - including an embarrassing mistake by Belgian authorities: www.ftm.eu/newsletters/...

An alarming and telling admission by German chancellor Friedrich Merz, who seems to be going along with the Trump administration's open disregard of international law. www.euractiv.com/news/merz-ac...

Big corporations. Big influence. An EU law meant to hold corporations accountable for human rights and environmental abuses in their supply chains (CS3D) has been heavily stripped back after pressure from a secret U.S. lobbying group of 11 multinationals, including ExxonMobil and Honeywell.

🔥 The Belgian Competition Authority has opened an own-initiative investigation into Google's online advertising practices www.bma-abc.be/sites/defaul...

⚖️ In this week’s Crime & Corruption newsletter: - The European Parliament quietly rethinks its internal spending rules - Heated fallout from the latest Qatargate ruling - Raids over a €900m Brussels property deal, plus fresh charges in the Didier Reynders probe

𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 | 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗕𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘀 He defended the rule of law as EU Justice Commissioner. Days after leaving office, Didier Reynders’ home was raided in a money-laundering probe. What happened? Journalist @simonvandorpe.bsky.social unpacks the story. ⚖️

🔥 In this morning's crime and corruption newsletter: some heated reactions following last week's judgement in the #Qatargate investigation: www.ftm.eu/articles/new...

This would make sense, especially considering the European Commission's increasingly outspoken political profile.

After years reporting on Europe’s dependence on Big Tech, we’re making a vital shift: phasing out U.S. tech and moving to European alternatives. With rising geopolitical tensions and risks tied to foreign cloud infrastructure, this is about protecting our journalism, security, and independence.

Shilling for Trump in Brussels: A document we obtained shows how Tony Blair and his institute lobbied behind closed doors for the EU to join Trump's "Board of Peace" and put €€€ behind US- and Israeli-led Gaza reconstruction efforts. Published with Democracy for Sale, ht @lighthousereports.com