Follow the Money: The Podcast

A stranger reading your messages, tracking your movements, scrolling through your photos. That's what spyware can do – without you even knowing. It’s marketed as a tool to fight terrorism and crime, but it’s also used to silence journalists, activists, and political opponents. Greek journalist Vas Panagiotopoulos reveals how the EU and national governments give public funds to companies behind this powerful surveillance technology linked to human rights abuses and political repression. The same firms accused of helping authoritarian regimes are cashing in on European taxpayer money. Related stories ➪ https://www.ftm.eu/articles/spyware-industry-eu-subsidies-surveillance-concers Follow the podcast https://www.ftm.eu/podcast/follow-the-money-the-podcast Follow FTM on social media: Instagram ➪ https://www.instagram.com/followthemoney_eu/ BlueSky ➪ https://bsky.app/profile/ftm.eu LinkedIn ➪ https://www.linkedin.com/company/follow-the-money-eu/ Become a member and support independent investigative journalism! https://www.ftm.eu/become-member

Health supplements are booming. Pills, powders, and gummies promise to make us fitter, stronger, and younger – and the industry is worth billions. But a Follow the Money investigation by Irene van den Berg and Mathilde de Jeu uncovered that nearly half of these products carry claims that aren’t allowed under EU rules. Still, Nestlé, Unilever, and other food giants keep them on the shelves, exploiting loopholes and weak regulation. Meanwhile, they profit twice: first from unhealthy foods, then from the supplements that supposedly undo the damage.

In Senegal, fishing is the backbone of the economy. But local fishermen’s nets are coming back empty. Journalists Hans Wetzels and Remy Käller discovered how European fishing companies are plundering Senegal’s seas through joint ventures that let them fly Senegalese flags – while profits flow back to Europe. With livelihoods disappearing, many young Senegalese see no other option but to migrate to Europe in search of a future. Related stories ➪ https://www.ftm.eu/articles/eu-fishing-companies-are-emptying-senegalese-seas-stealing-the-country-s-future?share=R8mVZs9n0RedJE%2BkDD6LFd4Xomu6npuxbPYO79eykzsSQJfuqmT%2BgPrhcpCePFw%3D Follow the podcast https://www.ftm.eu/podcast/follow-the-money-the-podcast Follow FTM on social media: Instagram ➪ https://www.instagram.com/followthemoney_eu/ BlueSky ➪ https://bsky.app/profile/ftm.eu LinkedIn ➪ https://www.linkedin.com/company/follow-the-money-eu/ Become a member and support independent investigative journalism! https://www.ftm.eu/become-member

When Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni ran her election campaign in 2022, she promised a bold solution to Italy’s migration challenges: building offshore migrant centres in Albania. The hubs should process asylum seekers abroad. But three years later, the reality looks very different. The hubs stand half-empty, construction costs have spiraled, and courts have thrown up roadblocks at every turn.We’re joined by Milan-based journalist James Imam, who uncovered how Meloni’s flagship project turned into a costly fiasco – and why Brussels still praises it as a model for the future.Content warning: This episode contains references to suicide, which some listeners may find distressing. Related stories ➪https://www.ftm.eu/articles/meloni-s-migration-centres-costs-the-italian-taxpayer?share=SQ8CUqkpvHGT8zViJlwbBjTGWYtHq7XROzYmWTUqCSBkIgM4eKoqchogVNxq%2BvM%3DFollow the podcasthttps://www.ftm.eu/podcast/follow-the-money-the-podcastFollow FTM on social media:Instagram ➪  https://www.instagram.com/followthemoney_eu/BlueSky  ➪  https://bsky.app/profile/ftm.euLinkedIn ➪ https://www.linkedin.com/company/follow-the-money-eu/Become a member and support independent investigative journalism!https://www.ftm.eu/become-member

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Commission struck a multi-billion-euro deal with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer for vaccine doses. In preparations to the deal, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen texted with the company’s CEO, Albert Bourla. But when journalist Alexander Fanta requested access to those messages, the Commission refused – and they have still never seen the light of day. In this episode, we are joined by journalist Lise Witteman to unpack Pfizergate: the scandal that has dogged von der Leyen’s presidency. Related stories ➪ https://www.ftm.eu/articles/new-york-times-lawsuit-european-commission https://www.ftm.eu/articles/ursula-von-der-leyen-text-messages https://www.ftm.eu/articles/who-is-suing-von-der-leyen https://www.ftm.eu/articles/pfizergate-hearing-eu-general-court https://www.ftm.eu/articles/eu-signal-group-confirmed-transparency-rules https://www.ftm.eu/articles/interview-eu-court-sms-von-der-leyen https://www.ftm.eu/articles/pfizergate-ruling-general-court-eu https://www.ftm.eu/articles/pfizergate-text-messages-deleted-after-access-request Follow the podcast https://www.ftm.eu/podcast/follow-the-money-the-podcast Follow FTM on social media: Instagram ➪ https://www.instagram.com/followthemoney_eu/ BlueSky ➪ https://bsky.app/profile/ftm.eu LinkedIn ➪ https://www.linkedin.com/company/follow-the-money-eu/ Become a member and support independent investigative journalism! https://www.ftm.eu/subscribe

You probably have never heard of him, but he’s one of Europe’s most influential billionaires: Daniel Křetínský, a Czech businessman who built his fortune on coal – all the while receiving hundreds of millions of euros for green subsidies from the EU. In this episode, investigative journalists Hazel Sheffield and Sofia Cherici unpick Křetínský’s vast empire: from fossil fuels and biomass plants to media outlets, supermarkets, postal services, and even football clubs. They’re diving into how, away from scrutiny, one Czech man holds Europe’s vital services in his grip. Related stories ➪ https://www.ftm.eu/articles/largest-coal-miner-europe-green-subsidies Follow the podcast https://www.ftm.eu/podcast/follow-the-money-the-podcast Follow FTM on social media: Instagram ➪ https://www.instagram.com/followthemoney_eu/ BlueSky ➪ https://bsky.app/profile/ftm.eu LinkedIn ➪ https://www.linkedin.com/company/follow-the-money-eu/ Become a member and support independent investigative journalism! https://www.ftm.eu/subscribe

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 of Follow the Money found a very different story. Their investigation shows how the European People’s Party has cast NGOs into convenient scapegoats as it backpedals on the Green Deal. Related stories ➪ ftm.eu/articles/civil-society-shrinking-space-europe Follow the podcast https://www.ftm.eu/podcast/follow-the-money-the-podcast Follow FTM on social media: Instagram ➪ https://www.instagram.com/followthemoney_eu/ BlueSky ➪ https://bsky.app/profile/ftm.eu LinkedIn ➪ https://www.linkedin.com/company/follow-the-money-eu/ Become a member and support independent investigative journalism! https://www.ftm.eu/subscribe Follow Lise Witteman BlueSky: @lise-witteman.bsky.social‬

The bottle of wine on your dinner table might not be what it claims. Journalists Barnaby Eales and Dominique Mesmin took a deep dive into how fraudsters sold millions of litres of Spanish bulk wine, passing them off as more prestigious French labels. With climate change disrupting harvests, this kind of fraud may only become more common. Related stories ➪ https://www.ftm.eu/articles/as-climate-change-worsens-wine-frauds-seize-the-opportunity?share=IQJbSlF4axrHL4zkx6KxabYtZxS4Eutb6VDMgyzyW%2Fe6PUWjpgF0E0rOl7rPva0%3D Follow the podcast https://www.ftm.eu/podcast/follow-the-money-the-podcast Follow FTM on social media: Instagram ➪ https://www.instagram.com/followthemoney_eu/ BlueSky ➪ https://bsky.app/profile/ftm.eu LinkedIn ➪ https://www.linkedin.com/company/follow-the-money-eu/ Become a member and support independent investigative journalism! https://www.ftm.eu/subscribe

It’s in our food, wine and water: Rising levels of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) – a type of “forever chemical” linked to serious health problems – are causing alarm in Europe. Yet when Brussels revised its drinking water law and regulated the toxic substances, high concentrations of TFA were ultimately overlooked. Journalist and physicist Thomas Goorden reveals how the chemical industry downplayed the risks of TFA, and how its lobbying efforts appear to have swayed the European Commission into diluting the vital legislation. Related stories ➪ https://www.ftm.eu/articles/pollution-crisis-threatens-europe-lobbyists-sway-brussels Follow the podcast https://www.ftm.eu/podcast/follow-the-money-the-podcast Follow FTM on social media: Instagram ➪ https://www.instagram.com/followthemoney_eu/ BlueSky ➪ https://bsky.app/profile/ftm.eu LinkedIn ➪ https://www.linkedin.com/company/follow-the-money-eu/ Become a member and support independent investigative journalism! https://www.ftm.eu/subscribe

U.S. investment giant KKR has quietly bought up major European music festivals like Sónar and Sziget. Investigative journalists Henk Willem Smits, Salsabil Fayed, Nick de Jager, and Remy Koens have uncovered ties between KKR and Israel-linked firms, including controversial projects in the occupied Palestinian territories. As outrage grows over Israel’s war in Gaza, artists and festivalgoers are pushing back. They accuse the private equity firm of putting profits over the community spirit and cultural values that have long defined such events. Related stories ➪https://www.ftm.eu/articles/private-equity-buys-festivals https://www.ftm.eu/articles/brett-christophers-asset-manager-society Follow the podcasthttps://www.ftm.eu/podcast/follow-the-money-the-podcast Follow FTM on social media: Instagram ➪ https://www.instagram.com/followthemoney_eu/ BlueSky  ➪ https://bsky.app/profile/ftm.eu LinkedIn ➪ https://www.linkedin.com/company/follow-the-money-eu/ Become a member and support independent investigative journalism! https://www.ftm.eu/subscribe Follow Henk Willem SmitsBlueSky: @henkwillem.bsky.social‬ Follow Salsabil Fayed BlueSky: @salsabilfayed.bsky.social

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Russia has generated over 900 billion euros from fossil fuel exports – funds that have helped sustain its military aggression. To circumvent Western sanctions on oil trade, it had to build a ‘shadow fleet’ of hundreds of old oil vessels. Led by Follow the Money’s Birte Schohaus, Jesse Pinster and Dimitri Tokmezis, an international team of investigative reporters has followed the money trail of the shadow fleet. They revealed – amongst others – that Western shipowners have profited significantly, earning over 6 billion dollars from the sale of oil tankers to Russia’s shadow fleet.Related stories ➪https://www.ftm.eu/articles/who-is-behind-the-russian-shadow-fleethttps://www.ftm.eu/articles/infrastructure-northsea-european-companies-russian-mappinghttps://www.ftm.eu/articles/north-sea-3-interview-with-christian-buegerFollow the podcast:https://www.ftm.eu/podcast/follow-the-money-the-podcastFollow FTM on social media:Instagram ➪ https://www.instagram.com/followthemoney_eu/BlueSky  ➪ https://bsky.app/profile/ftm.euLinkedIn ➪ https://www.linkedin.com/company/follow-the-money-eu/Become a member and support independent investigative journalism!https://www.ftm.eu/subscribeFollow Birte Schohaus BlueSky:birteschohaus.bsky.socialFollow Alexander FantaBlueSky: alexfanta.bsky.social

The Huawei corruption scandal has cast a long shadow over Brussels. Several individuals have been charged over allegations that lobbyists for the Chinese tech giant bribed Members of the European Parliament. Investigative journalists Simon Van Dorpe, Alexander Fanta and Lisanne van Vucht have revealed exactly how Huawei’s lobbying campaign in the EU went rogue – and shed light on the man accused of pulling the strings. After Qatargate rocked Brussels in 2022, this latest bribery probe raises fresh questions about whether the EU is doing enough to root out fraud and corruption. Related stories ➪ https://www.ftm.eu/articles/how-huawei-lobbying-campaign-in-europe-went-rogue https://www.ftm.eu/articles/huaweis-eu-bribery-scheme-exposed https://www.ftm.eu/articles/huawei-lobbyist-bragged-about-corruption-office Follow the podcast https://www.ftm.eu/podcast/follow-the-money-the-podcast Follow FTM on social media: Instagram ➪ https://www.instagram.com/followthemoney_eu/ BlueSky ➪ https://bsky.app/profile/ftm.eu LinkedIn ➪ https://www.linkedin.com/company/follow-the-money-eu/ Become a member and support independent investigative journalism! https://www.ftm.eu/subscribe Follow Alexander Fanta BlueSky: alexfanta.bsky.social Follow Simon Van Dorpe BlueSky: simonvandorpe.bsky.social

Millions of people across Europe buy their clothes on the fast fashion app Shein. But the Chinese company’s aggressive tactics for recruiting users have attracted the attention of European regulators. Investigative journalists Yara van Heugten and Alexander Fanta looked into this ultra-fast fashion firm that is dreaming of entering the stock market. They cut through the smoke and mirrors behind this fashion mogul’s flashy claims and found that behind the dazzling numbers, cracks are starting to show – and Shein may be losing its shine.