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The EU set out to protect the world's forests. Then, it watered down its landmark Deforestation Regulation and delayed it twice. Brussels blamed technical problems, but journalist Hans Wetzels found that there was a lot more to the story.

ftm.eu

Podcast | The fight over Europe’s promise to save forests

A landmark EU law was meant to ensure that products such as coffee, soy, and timber do not fuel deforestation globally. However, the legislation has been watered down and delayed twice – with Brussels...

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 29/09/2026

Pollute or fall behind? Europe faces a stark choice in the space race. SpaceX wants to launch a million data-centre satellites, but scientists warn that a crowded orbit could trigger collisions, disrupting communications, navigation, and internet access on Earth.

ftm.eu

The new space race forces Europe to choose: pollute or get left behind

The race for space is accelerating, with US and Chinese interests staking out an increasingly crowded orbit. Space belongs to everyone, but regulation is lagging behind plans to launch ever more satel...

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 28/09/2026

What did Ursula von der Leyen omit from her State of the European Union address? Why were two Russian oligarchs removed from the EU sanctions list? And how did the bloc’s independent anti-fraud watchdog end up evaluating itself? Find out in this week’s Bureau Brussels.

ftm.eu

What von der Leyen left out of her Congress of Europe pitch

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 26/09/2026

This week at Follow the Money: 🇪🇺 Could Brussels’ control of funds for poorer regions deepen political divides? 🎰 Leaked files expose Curaçao casino owners and regulators accused of missing red flags 💸 Meet Off the Books, our newsletter on fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion

ftm.eu

Brussels wants more control over funding for its poorest regions

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 24/09/2026

What happens when Europe’s poorest regions lose control of the funding meant for them? Brussels wants to centralise the system, a shift that could deepen divides, fuel the far right and, insiders warn, give Ursula von der Leyen more control over the EU budget.

ftm.eu

Why taking EU funding away from mayors could empower the far right

For decades, the EU has spent billions developing its poorer regions. Now the European Commission wants to centralise control over that cash, sidelining mayors and regional policymakers – and giving B...

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 23/09/2026

After 10 years covering financial crime, tax fraud, and those trying to stop it, Salsabil Fayed is launching a new monthly newsletter: Off the Books. In this first edition, she looks at Europe’s VAT fraud problem, the UN tax convention debate, and the EPPO’s cross-border work.

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Europe has a VAT fraud problem. What’s it actually doing about it?

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 23/09/2026

Namibia was meant to help power Europe’s climate goals, with billions in EU-backed green hydrogen investment promising jobs and growth. But when journalist @oli4vb.bsky.social travelled there, he found a very different reality. 🔗 Full episode: www.ftm.eu/articles/pod...

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 22/09/2026

Think you know who runs Europe? Think again. Every Wednesday, @emmaduchatinier.bsky.social dives into a Follow the Money investigation exposing hidden powerbrokers, from lobbyists and companies to corrupt politicians and fraudsters. 🎧 Follow the podcast here: www.ftm.eu/files/who-re...

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 22/09/2026

Curaçao is home to a secretive network of thousands of gambling sites, some illegally targeting customers worldwide. Who is behind them? A hacker obtained confidential documents revealing the identities of their hidden owners.

ftm.eu

Curaçao’s secretive gambling industry exposed in leak

Leaked documents have exposed the hidden owners of secretive gambling sites operating from Curaçao, some of whom have amassed huge fortunes. The files also reveal that the Caribbean island’s gaming re...

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 21/09/2026

Our reporters, much like the rest of the bloc (and Canada), are still digesting Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the Union speech. One of her boldest messages took aim at Big Tech, but we’ve learned that some of the experts advising her panel have ties to the industry.

ftm.eu

Experts with Big Tech ties advised von der Leyen’s child social media panel

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 19/09/2026

This week at Follow the Money: 👕 Europe’s discarded clothes, traced to gruelling factory work in Pakistan 📱 Von der Leyen’s messages will keep being auto-deleted 🌳 How a Malta-sized Bolivian forest ended up with an agribusiness giant 🎮 Gaming firms lobby against tougher EU rules

ftm.eu

Damage, denial, displacement

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 18/09/2026

Did you share your travels on Polarsteps this summer? You may have shared more than you realised. FTM found the app can expose locations to within a metre, letting us trace over 30 military personnel to bases, missions, and homes. Since our investigation, the Dutch military has blacklisted it.

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 18/09/2026

Europe may be tightening rules on unsold clothing, but a deeper problem remains untouched: overproduction. We spoke to people dealing with the mess outside EU, including workers sorting up to 17 tonnes a day for below-minimum pay in gruelling conditions, many of them climate-displaced themselves.

ftm.eu

Inside the Pakistani factories where exploited workers process Europe’s discarded clothes

Europeans’ appetite for fast fashion produces mountains of discarded clothing that the bloc cannot process. Many of the unwanted clothes end up in Pakistan, where they are sorted in factories with no ...

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 17/09/2026

Brussels was told to stop deleting von der Leyen’s texts. It’s sticking with auto-delete. The Commission says preserving them for public access requests “cannot be reconciled with the necessary cybersecurity measure”, while a legal expert says they could simply be stored securely elsewhere.

ftm.eu

EU executive will keep deleting von der Leyen’s texts, despite watchdog warnings

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 17/09/2026

In one of the EU’s largest-ever fraud cases, involving €520 million in VAT and two mafia groups, six suspects have been sentenced to years in prison by a court in Milan. The EU’s top prosecution office said the scheme caused “massive damage to national and EU budgets.”

ftm.eu

Ringleader of one of the EU’s biggest VAT fraud cases jailed for years in Italy

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 16/09/2026

Rabobank backed a multimillion-euro plan to protect a Bolivian forest the size of Malta. Instead, it was bought by a Brazilian agribusiness giant accused of major deforestation, with a Rabobank employee helping secure the acquisition. Now its future is in question.

ftm.eu

Rabobank backed a bid to preserve a Bolivian forest. It lost to Brazil’s ‘king of soy’

The family behind one of the world’s biggest soy producers has bought a crucial patch of forest in Bolivia, raising serious concerns over disastrous environmental consequences. Now, FTM can reveal tha...

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Reposted by Follow the Money EU

Alexander Fanta @alexfanta.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

You might not know what a loot box is, but there's teenagers out there who will spent thousands of euros on them from their parent's credit card. Welcome to the fiercest Brussels lobbying battle you have never heard about, but which could completely re-shape the world of online gaming. 🧵

Illustration of a kid climbing into a box

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 15/09/2026

Gambling-like features are turning some video games into spending traps for children. Some teenagers have spent thousands on ‘loot boxes’, purchases made without knowing what you’ll get. Brussels wants tougher rules, but the industry is lobbying hard, with a powerful ally inside the Commission.

ftm.eu

Tech giants fight EU crackdown on video games that push children to spend

The EU is working on a law to curb some of the video gaming industry’s most controversial practices. Campaigners warn that children are especially vulnerable to gambling-like features designed to enco...

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 14/09/2026

This week in Bureau Brussels: - Farming lobbies’ strategy strategy to weaken pesticide rules - A new social network gets Ursula von der Leyen’s approval - The EU Ombudsman opens another case over rejected FTM records request

ftm.eu

Less red tape, more pesticides? Bee careful what you ‘simplify’

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 12/09/2026

This week at Follow the Money: 💶 We traced how €6bn in EU innovation funding was spent 🎓 We examined universities’ ties with Israeli institutions 🛢️ We followed Namibia’s green hydrogen and oil boom 🌱 We questioned carbon-credit claims 📚 We opened free access to students

ftm.eu

Promises, pressure & public money

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 11/09/2026

Follow the Money is looking for student ambassadors! 📚 Help bring independent investigative journalism to your university and introduce more students to FTM and our free student membership. 💡 The deadline for applications is this Monday 14 September! Apply and see more information below.

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Follow the Money is looking for student ambassadors!

Follow the Money - Platform for investigative journalism

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 11/09/2026

AI data centres come with huge environmental costs. One British firm thinks it’s found a bold solution: power them with landfill gas and sell carbon credits for it. But that gas is already required by law to be captured.

ftm.eu

‘Money for old rope’: AI data centre firm criticised for dubious carbon claim

A British tech firm plans to power AI data centres with landfill gas, and sell carbon credits for the emissions it claims this will save. But the gas earmarked for the project is already being capture...

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 10/09/2026

𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲. Get unlimited access to our investigations into money, power, politics, Big Tech, climate, and more. No paywall, no cost, just radically independent journalism that holds power to account. 🔗 Sign up here: www.ftm.eu/student?utm_...

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 10/09/2026

Europe’s green energy poster child could become an oil powerhouse. Backed by €1 billion in promised EU funding for green hydrogen, Namibia was meant to support the bloc’s energy transition. But as those plans stall, a fossil fuel lobby group has a blunt message for the country: “drill, baby, drill”.

ftm.eu

Europe’s green hydrogen hopes suffer fresh setback in Namibia

The European Union has bet heavily on Namibia as a future source of green hydrogen to help meet its climate goals. Yet a senior official now says major exports to Europe are unlikely, at a time when t...

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 09/09/2026

Crime & Corruption is back after a short break. This week: a Brussels power struggle with party politics underneath it, two EU watchdogs fighting all the way to Europe’s top court, Nigel Farage aides quitting over foreign money talks, a landmark Belgian bribery case and more.

ftm.eu

The EPP eyes one of Brussels’ last power centres

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 09/09/2026

Universities said they would boycott Israeli universities over the war in Gaza. Yet in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, and beyond, cooperation continues, including on projects with potential military applications. Institutions say there are significant obstacles to walking away.

ftm.eu

European universities promised to cut Israeli research ties. Dozens didn’t

European universities are continuing to work with Israeli research and technology partners after announcing they would cut ties over Gaza. These include collaborations on projects with potential milit...

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 08/09/2026

€6bn to help solve Europe’s biggest challenges. Inside the organisations trusted with that money, FTM found business-class upgrades on short flights, free-flowing alcohol at staff events, and up to 200 employees flown in for lavish gatherings. One insider called it “burning money”.

ftm.eu

Booze, bonuses, and wasted money plague EU’s €6bn bet on innovation

The EU’s flagship innovation network has received billions of euros to develop solutions to major societal challenges. But Follow the Money found evidence of wasteful spending, weak governance, and po...

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 07/09/2026

A secret donor is funding an Israel-backing MEP’s security. Parliament approved it, but won’t say what exactly it approved. Now, the European Ombudsman is investigating after our complaint. Also in Bureau Brussels: what shapes an MEP’s vote, and who will fund Europe’s investigative watchdogs?

ftm.eu

EU watchdog probes secret donor behind pro-Israel MEP

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 05/09/2026

This week at Follow the Money: 📍 A travel app exposing users’ movements, including military personnel 🚬 Big Tobacco’s influence on Brussels’ vaping agenda 🏛️ Industry lobbying is shaping the Commission's priorities 💶 A major VAT fraud involving the Italian mafia 🇪🇺 Bureau Brussels newsletter returns

ftm.eu

Everything leaves a trace

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 05/09/2026

Did you share your travels on Polarsteps this summer? If so, you might have shared more than you realised … FTM found that the popular travel app exposes enough data to track users, sometimes to within a metre. We also tracked 30+ military personnel to their bases, missions, and even back home.

ftm.eu

Travel app Polarsteps lets people spy on soldiers

Dozens of military personnel from the United States, United Kingdom, Netherlands and other countries can be tracked down to the meter via Polarsteps, a popular travel app. Even when they didn’t use th...

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 04/09/2026

Reducing harm, or ignoring it? As excise taxes rose and cigarette sales fell, the tobacco industry found a new cash cow: vapes, nicotine pouches, and other nicotine products. Its own research pitches them as less harmful alternatives. Brussels is listening, but experts warn it overlooks key risks.

ftm.eu

Big Tobacco stops Brussels from getting tough on vaping, despite proven harm

The tobacco industry is pouring millions of euros into research and lobbying to promote the idea that vapes and other new products are less harmful than cigarettes. In Brussels, that controversial mes...

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 03/09/2026

Hungary’s close ties with Moscow were no secret. What happened behind closed doors was. Then @vsquare.bsky.social got a glimpse inside, obtaining calls between Hungary’s foreign minister and senior Russian officials.

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 01/09/2026

Promises are made to be broken. At least, it seems that way in Brussels. Hundreds of lobbying meetings coincided with key promises being stalled or abandoned. Who got closest to the commissioners, and what happened to the promises that helped put them in office?

ftm.eu

From addictive apps to animal welfare: how Brussels bows to industry pressure

Big promises on issues from animal welfare to Big Tech helped Ursula von der Leyen’s Commissioners win the backing of the European Parliament in 2024. More than a year and a half into their terms, Fol...

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 31/08/2026

Brussels is back. So are the big questions. Will Europe’s appetite for Russia sanctions hold? What’s next in the bloc’s fight over Big Tech? And can Ireland navigate a testing second half of its Presidency of the Council of the EU?

ftm.eu

Brussels is back. So are the battles.

Follow the Money - Platform for investigative journalism

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 31/08/2026

Rolex watches, yachts, and the Italian Mafia: they all come together in one of Europe’s biggest VAT fraud cases. As EPPO turns five, we explore some of its most remarkable cases. In this final instalment: a major VAT fraud involving two of Italy’s most prominent mafia groups.

ftm.eu

How the Italian mafia pulled off one of Europe’s biggest VAT frauds

This summer, as the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) has turned five, FTM revisits some of its biggest, weirdest, and most vital fraud cases. This instalment: the multi-million Moby Dick tax...

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 29/08/2026

This week at Follow the Money: 🇮🇸 How big fishing companies are using Brexit-style campaigning ahead of Iceland’s vote on EU membership talks 🕵️ Fresh developments in a suspected NATO spying case 🎙️ A podcast behind the investigation that exposed a pro-Russian influence operation

ftm.eu

Influence & interference

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 28/08/2026

A Canadian researcher remains detained in Belgium on suspicion of spying for China at NATO. FTM and its media partners can reveal a new development: suspected accomplices may be obstructing the investigation, changing her passwords after her arrest and breaking into her flat.

ftm.eu

NATO spying scandal: Suspect thought to have accomplices obstructing the investigation

A NATO intern arrested on suspicion of espionage may have accomplices attempting to obstruct the investigation, FTM and its media partners can reveal. Belgian investigators noticed suspicious activity...

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 28/08/2026

Yes or no: this question has Iceland in its grip. On Saturday, residents will decide whether to open talks about joining the EU. But who is trying to sway their choice? FTM found that large fishing companies are using Brexit campaign strategies to influence the vote.

ftm.eu

Iceland could become the EU’s next member – but not if big fishing companies have their way

As Iceland is heading for a vote on Saturday to decide whether or not to start accession talks with the European Union, campaigns against it are gearing up.

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 27/08/2026

During Moldova’s 2025 elections, what looked like genuine public support was manufactured. Contexte.ro uncovered a massive pro-Russia, anti-Europe influence operation spanning hundreds of online profiles, newspapers, and crypto payments. 🔗 Full episode: www.ftm.eu/articles/pod...

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 24/08/2026

Follow the Money is looking for Student Ambassadors across Europe! 💡 Help bring independent investigative journalism and our free student membership to your campus. How you do it is partly up to you. Open to students from all disciplines. Around 4 hours a week for three months. Deadline: 14/08

ftm.eu

Follow the Money is looking for student ambassadors!

Follow the Money - Platform for investigative journalism

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 24/08/2026

€50,000 for a Porsche? Today, that might sound like a steal. But for some buyers, the bargain came with a potentially deadly cost. As EPPO turns five, we dive into a major crackdown on damaged, unsafe cars illegally imported from the US and sold across Europe.

ftm.eu

Damaged cars rejected in the US end up on European roads

This summer, as the European Public Prosecutor’s Office turns five, Follow the Money revisits some of the office’s biggest, boldest, and strangest fraud cases. In this instalment: a continent-wide cra...

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Reposted by Follow the Money EU

Remy Käller @remykaller.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Want to drill for oil in the North Sea and could use some extra funds? You might want to try ING. Contrary to what the bank claimed, it is still pumping hundreds of millions into pure play oil and gas companies who develop new oil fields. Now @ftm.eu with @jandaalder.nl www.ftm.eu/articles/dut...

ftm.eu

ING helped fossil fuel firms raise over $900 million despite climate pledge

Dutch bank ING vowed in 2024 to stop financing oil and gas companies that develop new fields. But the lender seems to have broken its own promise by providing $908 million in financing to three firms ...

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 22/08/2026

This week at FTM: 🏦 How ING keeps financing new North Sea oil 💊 The network behind Europe’s lethal designer drugs 🛞 Claims Michelin is squeezing tyre rivals 🎙️ Inside the investigation into journalists killed in Gaza Plus: Direkt36 uncovers serious failures in Hungary’s children’s homes.

ftm.eu

Reading between the records

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 22/08/2026

Dutch bank ING promised to stop financing oil and gas companies focused solely on new fields. But the money is still flowing. Last year, research by SOMO and Watchtower found ING provided $908m to three companies searching for new oil in the North Sea, through loans and bonds.

ftm.eu

ING helped fossil fuel firms raise over $900 million despite climate pledge

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 21/08/2026

Most dangerous drugs are banned across the EU, but sellers found a workaround: tweaking compounds sourced from labs in India and China. The result? ‘Designer drugs’. One major website, linked to 21 deaths, now faces a crackdown. But our investigation with NOS reveals a much bigger network.

ftm.eu

‘I’d never take it myself’: Meet the European dealers importing billions of euros of designer drugs

Dealers are flooding Europe with so-called ‘designer drugs’ – substances similar to illicit drugs that have been modified to evade law enforcement. An investigation by Follow the Money traces the pote...

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 20/08/2026

Hundreds of journalists have been killed in Gaza. Through the #GazaProject, investigative reporters from around the world came together to investigate the deaths of their colleagues. @frederikobermaier.com of @papertrailmedia.de was one of them. 🔗 Full episode: www.ftm.eu/articles/pod...

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 18/08/2026

Losing millions, making billions: Euromaster’s parent company Michelin has the deep pockets to absorb its losses. Rivals say that allows the tyre-fitting chain to win customers with prices they can’t match. And Michelin has faced pricing scrutiny before.

ftm.eu

Michelin accused of using financial muscle to pressure tyre rivals

Euromaster, Michelin’s tyre-fitting subsidiary, is accused of luring customers away from competitors with ultra-low prices. Yet the company itself is posting heavy losses, covered by its French parent...

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Follow the Money EU @ftm.eu · 17/08/2026

It’s not a drug cartel, nor an underground organisation, but a hospital. As the European Prosecutor's Office turns five, we explore some of its most remarkable cases. In this instalment, we look into an ongoing investigation at Prague’s largest medical centre.

ftm.eu

Snowmobile and Costa Rican property: the gains of alleged Czech hospital fraud

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