A controversial fishing method that can sweep up entire schools of fish is fuelling tensions across European waters. Dutch fly-shooting vessels are ramping up activity in the English Channel despite agreements meant to limit it, while the industry resists research into its impacts.
This week in Bureau Brussels: we ask why an EU-backed organisation folded over vague “irregularities”, examine a Greek constitutional clause that may let criminals cover their tracks, and explore concerns about automated border management in the EU’s new system.
@direkt36.bsky.social
All eyes are on Hungary as the country heads to the polls today. What happens if Viktor Orbán loses power after 16 years? Direkt36’s Patrik Galavits unpacks loyalty under the regime and what could come next.
🎧 Full podcast 'Who’s the man aiming to oust Orbán?': www.ftm.eu/articles/pod...
One minute he’s called a spy, the next a CIA agent. “Total nonsense”, says Hungarian investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi. Still, Orbán’s government has threatened and wiretapped him. Follow the Money spoke to him about rising tensions in Hungary, in light of today's elections.
Features & Mentions: @direkt36.bsky.social · @vsquare.bsky.social · @szabolcspanyi.bsky.social · @alistairkeepe.bsky.social · Hans Wetzels
What’s been uncovered this week? Heineken’s hidden investment in Iran, TikTok meddling fears ahead of Hungary’s elections, covert tactics used to block Ukraine’s EU accession and more.
Hardly anyone knew about it, not even the shareholders. Yet Heineken quietly conducted business in Iran for years. The brewer introduced its “Islamic beer” in the very year that the United States tightened sanctions against Iran.
Justice is taking its time.
In this week’s Crime & Corruption newsletter, we look at why corruption cases in the EU drag on for years, the persistence of offshore wealth a decade after the Panama Papers and more.
Read the latest edition (free on our app for 5 days) 📱👇
After reports about Russian meddling during the Romanian presidential elections, the EU Commission launched an investigation into TikTok.
But more than a year later, and just days from a crucial vote in Hungary, the EU's probe is still open.
What's taking so long?
www.ftm.eu/articles/bru...
Ahead of Hungary’s elections, interference concerns echo Romania’s 2024 fiasco, where suspected Russian TikTok meddling canceled a vote. The Commission promised action, but critics say little has changed. Has the EU done enough to stop Big Tech from shaping Hungary’s future?
AI is booming. Markets are shifting. And a $2.5 trillion shadow system now sits in the middle.
What if the next financial crisis doesn’t start with banks, but with private credit, tech companies, and an AI hype cycle we don’t fully understand yet? Experts say the warning signs are already here.
Beyond the frontlines, Ukraine faces another battlefield: the courtroom.
The same system that lets corporations sue governments over climate policies is now used by Russian oligarchs to file billion-euro claims through international arbitration.
🎧 Listen on our website or app (free for 5 days).
NATO: transatlantic alliance or an American instrument?
In our recent podcast episode, 'Our Toxic Obsession with the US', journalist @davekeating.substack.com discussed the structural power imbalance at the heart of NATO as it stands today.
The EU prides itself on protecting workers’ rights. Yet in the Netherlands, reality looked different: for over 14 years, employers likely saved billions by underpaying temporary workers, many from abroad and unaware of their rights. Now it could head to court.
🎣🇪🇺 Despite having some of the world’s strictest fishing rules, the EU is letting violations slip through the net. Internal documents show the Commission has repeatedly dropped cases against member states.
🔗 Full story: www.ftm.eu/articles/the...
In this week’s Bureau Brussels newsletter, we unpack a troubled Czech defence giant facing allegations of deceiving investors, pressure on the Commission over hidden EU funds, a well-timed smear campaign linked to Orbán’s circle ahead of the elections, and more.
@vsquare.bsky.social · @szabolcspanyi.bsky.social · @correctiv.org · @direkt36.bsky.social · @mediapart.fr
Features & mentions: @occrp.org (@elimoskowitz.bsky.social @ingridgercama.bsky.social , Misha Gagarin) · @irishtimes.com (@conorgallagher.bsky.social) · @theguardian.com · @tijd.be (@larsbove.bsky.social) · @lechobe.bsky.social (@julienbalbo.bsky.social) · @ftm.eu (Louis Gore-Langton)
This week in Europe Uncovered: Irish metals fuelling Russia’s war machine, Chinese LinkedIn spies targeting EU and NATO officials, the Commission letting illegal fishing slip through the net, and Hungary charging a journalist who exposed a covert operation, and more.
The EU talks tough on illegal fishing, but in practice the Commission lets violations slip through the net. Internal documents obtained by Follow the Money show it has dropped cases against member states failing to enforce the law, letting illegally caught fish reach European plates.
@irenevandenberg.bsky.social
Alcohol’s risks are well established, but how they’re communicated is another story. For decades, the industry has shaped narratives around drinking, using tactics linked to Big Tobacco, from funding research to lobbying on policy. We unpack their playbook and why it matters for public health.
Fraud has gone corporate.
In this week’s Crime & Corruption newsletter, we unpack a new report on how global crime networks expand – alongside Sarkozy’s appeal and other high-profile probes across Europe.
Read the latest edition here (free on our app for 5 days) 👇📱
Italian MEP Fulvio Martusciello defended himself before the European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs yesterday, denying allegations of bribes from a Huawei lobbyist and claiming that the thousands of euros paid into his bank account were reimbursements for money he had lent to a friend.
Over 30 years in international justice, from apartheid investigations to genocide trials, have taught veteran judge and former UN prosecutor Richard Goldstone one thing: the real problem still goes unchecked, corruption at the top. Now, he is pushing for a global court to hold it to account.
@emmaduchatinier.bsky.social @davekeating.substack.com
“The problem is just like junk food, American culture is best consumed in moderation.
FTM podcast host Emma du Chatinier spoke with author Dave Keating about Europe’s cultural dependence on the US, why it matters, and what alternatives could look like.
🎧 Full episode: www.ftm.eu/articles/pod...
