Who really runs Europe?

For decades, governments have spent billions of euros to stop money laundering worldwide. But is the system actually stopping financial crime? Emma, together with financial journalist Roel Janssen, speaks to British investigative journalist and author Oliver Bullough about why the anti-money-laundering system is far from doing what it is supposed to do, and who pays the price.

Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Western governments tried to stop business as usual with Russia. In football, the country was banned from major international competitions. But the money flows in football haven’t stopped. Journalist Krijn Schramade found that European clubs continue to do millions of euros worth of business with Russian clubs.

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 blaming IT issues. Journalist Hans Wetzels found that the story went far beyond technical failures. Related stories ➪https://www.ftm.eu/articles/eu-says-it-problems-delayed-deforestation-law-critics-blame-lobbying Follow the podcasthttps://www.ftm.eu/podcast/who-really-runs-europe Follow 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/TikTok ➪ https://www.tiktok.com/@ftm_eu Download the FTM app: App Store ➪ https://apps.apple.com/nl/app/follow-the-money/id1232284535 Google Play ➪ https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nl.ftm.ftmpulse&hl=en 

Namibia was supposed to become one of the countries powering Europe’s climate goals: a multibillion-dollar EU-funded project to develop green hydrogen promised jobs and economic growth. But when journalist Olivier van Beemen travelled to Namibia, he found a very different reality.

Viktor Orbán has drawn Hungary increasingly close to Russia. But what has been happening behind closed doors between the Hungarian government and Moscow? Investigative network VSquare obtained recordings and transcripts of calls between Hungary’s foreign minister and senior Russian officials, offering a rare glimpse into Hungary-Russia relations and the conversations taking place away from public view. In the final episode of Follow the Money’s summer podcast series, Emma du Chatinier and Lise Witteman speak with VSquare co-founder and investigative journalist Anna Gielewska. She explains how journalists across Central Europe began investigating the spread of Orbán’s political model and why Russian influence kept appearing in their reporting. It’s a story that sounds like a “spy thriller”, but actually played out across Central Europe.