A pan-European investigation into the largest EU stimulus package in history
The Corona Recovery and Resilience Facility (RFF) is the largest money pot the European Union has ever set up. Until 2026, about 500 billion euros will be channelled to Member States. That money is earmarked to help revive the European economy after the Corona crisis and is tied to ambitious plans and reforms.
But fraud and corruption are lurking.
In 2021, Follow the Money started the Recovery Files project with journalists from across Europe. Even before a penny had been spent, we pointed out the fund’s weaknesses: the faltering democratic process, gaps in its oversight, insufficient transparency and dubious lobbying influence.
Since then, our team has expanded to include journalists from 20 Member States, and the most important phase of our investigation is now underway: mapping the beneficiaries. Is the money ending up in the right places? Are all conditions being met? And can the European Commission keep its promise that public money will be spent appropriately this time?
We are continuing our investigation. Because there is only one way to discover the truth: Follow the Money.
Read the Stories
Follow the Money (The Netherlands)
English
- The Recovery Files: scrutinising the billions from Brussels
- Brussels conceals records on recovery billions, despite transparency pledge
- Interview | RRF boss Céline Gauer: ‘We shouldn’t approve recovery plans made in ivory towers’
- Automotive industry scores billions for their polluting hybrids from European recovery fund
- Member States sabotage public scrutiny of EU-funds worth hundreds of billions of euros
- Brussels will not tolerate any ‘interference’ in how the corona billions are spent
- Consultancies profit handsomely from the EU recovery fund
- EU Ombudsman: Commission failed to give reasons for secrecy on recovery plans
- EU countries agree to reveal the winners of the 700 billion euro recovery fund
- Cash for reforms? Hard choices yet to come for EU’s recovery fund (NEW)
Dutch
- Gigantische Europese subsidiepot gaat gepaard met stille machtsoverdracht
- Het stiekeme Nederlandse selectieproces voor de EU-herstelmiljarden
- Brussel weigert documenten over coronamiljarden openbaar te maken
- Podcast | De coronamiljarden
- Grote winnaar van het Europese coronaherstelfonds: de auto-industrie
- Interview | EU-topambtenaar Céline Gauer: aanpakken huizenmarkt is voorwaarde voor EU-miljarden
- Lidstaten saboteren toezicht op de honderden miljarden van het Europese coronaherstelfonds
- Brussel duldt geen ‘inmenging’ in besteding coronamiljarden
- Adviesbureaus verdienen riant aan het EU-coronaherstelfonds
- EU-landen eindelijk bereid grootste ontvangers van miljardenfonds te onthullen
- Nederland beloofde in ruil voor EU-miljarden maatregelen die al waren genomen (NEW)
ABC (Spain)
Átlátszó (Hungary)
Apache (Belgium)
- Op zoek naar de miljarden uit het Europees Herstelfonds
- Coronaherstelfonds werkt als magneet op adviesbureaus
- Belgische relance ontaardt in wirwar aan projecten (NEW)
El Confidencial (Spain)
Context (Romania)
Deník.cz (Czechia)
- Miliardy z Bruselu oživí ekonomiku, ale mohou oslabit demokracii
- Brusel zatajuje záznamy o miliardách na obnovu po covidu. Navzdory slibu
DEO.dk (Denmark)
- EU’s historiske kickstart stiller de folkevalgte på sidelinjen
- Ingen aktindsigt i beslutningerne om EU’s nye milliardfonde
- Milliardstøtte til bilindustrien og russisk gas i EU’s grønne omstilling
- EU-milliarder på vej til ukendte modtagere
- Kommissionen om Corona-milliarderne: ”Forstyr ikke – udbetaling pågår”
- Gennembrud for åbenhed om Corona-fondene
De Tijd (Belgium)
ICJK (Slovakia)
Iltalehti (Finland)
- RecoveryFiles -projekti: Bryssel salaa elpymismiljardien asiakirjoja lupauksista huolimatta
- EU:n elpymisrahasto on kultakaivos konsulteille - auttavat niin rahan jakajia kuin saajia
ISE (Romania)
IRPImedia (Italy)
- Le voci del Recovery: chi ha deciso il piano di ripartenza in Europa
- Recovery Fund: il muro di gomma sui negoziati europei
- Il PNRR italiano trascura la transizione dell’automotive
- La trasparenza a fasi alterne del Recovery Fund
- La marea delle consulenze per le riforme dei Pnrr europei
The Journal (Ireland)
Moncloa (Spain)
- Fondos europeos: España y la UE dificultan conocer a los beneficiarios de 800.000 millones
- Fondos europeos y conflictos de interés: España y la Comisión contrataron a consultoras para redactar planes nacionales
Le Monde (France)
- En dépit de son engagement pour la transparence, Bruxelles refuse de dévoiler des documents sur le plan de relance européen
- L’industrie automobile, bénéficiaire controversée du plan de relance européen
- Malgré les engagements de Bruxelles, l’utilisation des fonds du plan de relance européen manque de transparence
- Comment les cabinets de conseil profitent des plans de relance européens
- La réforme des retraites est-elle vraiment dictée par Bruxelles?
- Comment Bruxelles a conditionné le plan de relance de l’UE à des objectifs concrets (NEW)
Noteworthy (Ireland)
OKO.press (Poland)
- Rząd PiS wyda miliardy z UE w tajemnicy. A Unia mu na to pozwoli
- System kamieni milowych w fazie testów, Bruksela pod presją. Skorzysta na tym rząd PiS? (NEW)
Onet.pl (Poland)
- Teczki Odbudowy: jak wydawane będą miliardy z Brukseli
- "Absurdalne" i "niechlujne" działania rządów i Komisji Europejskiej. Urzędnicy nie chcą pokazać jawnych dokumentów
Oštro (Croatia)
- EK odugovlači s informacijama o europskim milijardama
- Rimac projekt samovoznog taksija dogovarao izravno s Komisijom
- Primatelji novca iz Fonda za oporavak skriveni od javnosti
- Hrvatsku vladu savjetovala konzultantska kuća koja se našla na crnoj listi Europske komisije
Oštro (Slovenia)
- Evropske milijarde brez demokratične razprave
- Komisija zavira sledenje evropskim milijardam
- Avtomobilska industrija sporni zmagovalec sklada za okrevanje
- Skriti prejemniki sredstev za okrevanje
- Komisija privatizira strokovno podporo državam pri reformah
Reporters United (Greece)
Welt (Germany)
- Wie in Hinterzimmern über die Milliarden aus Brüssel entschieden wird
- Olaf Scholz will sich beim EU-Milliardenfonds nicht in die Karten schauen lassen
- Scholz ließ Nennung der Nutznießer beim EU-Aufbaufonds blockieren
- So schafft Brüssel ein Konjunkturprogramm für Beratungsfirmen
- Für Brüsseler Milliardensubventionen muss Deutschland nachsitzen (NEW)
ZackZack (Austria)
Meet the team
The Recovery Files is made possible by research from the following journalists:
- Steven Vanden Bussche, Apache (Belgium)
- Gabi Horn, Átlátszó (Hungary)
- Kike Andres Pretel, El Confidencial (Spain)
- Marta Ley, El Confidencial (Spain)
- Attila Bíró, Context Investigative Reporting Project (Romania)
- Roberta Spiteri, Daphne Foundation (Malta)
- Staffan Dahllöf, DEO.dk (Denmark / Sweden)
- Petr Vodsedalek, Deník (Czech Republic)
- Adriana Homolova, Follow the Money (The Netherlands)
- Peter Teffer, Follow the Money (The Netherlands)
- Lise Witteman, Follow the Money (The Netherlands)
- Marii Karell, freelance (Estonia)
- Emilia Garcia Morales, Grupo Merca2 (Spain)
- Marcos García Rey, Grupo Merca2 (Spain)
- Beatriz Jimenez, Grupo Merca2 (Spain)
- Lukas Diko, Investigatívne centrum Jána Kuciaka (Slovakia)
- Karin Kőváry Sólymos, Investigatívne centrum Jána Kuciaka (Slovakia)
- Jarno Liski, Iltalehti (Finland)
- Carlotta Indiano, Irpimedia (Italy)
- Giulio Rubino, Irpimedia (Italy)
- Thomas Klein, Luxemburger Wort (Luxembourg)
- Adrien Sénécat, Le Monde (France)
- Piotr Maciej Kaczyński, Onet.pl (Poland)
- Maria Pankowska, OKO.press (Poland)
- Ante Pavić, Oštro Hrvatska (Croatia)
- Matej Zwitter, Oštro Slovenija (Slovenia)
- Janine Louloudi, Reporters United (Greece)
- Lars Bové, De Tijd (Belgium)
- Hans-Martin Tillack, Die Welt (Germany)
- Ben Weiser, ZackZack (Austria)