
A pan-European investigation into the largest EU stimulus package in history
In 2021, the European Union entered uncharted territory.
To help the continent ‘emerge stronger and more resilient’ from the worst pandemic in 100 years, the European Commission began providing member states with grants and low-interest loans. The total amount of allocated money is unprecedented: €723.8 billion.
To get access to the fund, EU member states have had to submit ambitious plans. But some of these plans contain controversial public reforms. And most member states’ national parliaments have not been involved in drafting them.
Also unprecedented: the almost €725 billion is financed by issuing public debt.
The European Court of Auditors (ECA) called this strategy ‘a major shift in EU finances’ and warned that there is an ‘obvious need for effective checks on how EU money is spent, and on whether the intended results are achieved’.
But a senior ECA official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said their organisation did not have enough staff and resources to scrutinise how money from the fund is spent.
How were these plans drafted? How will the money be spent? And what does this all mean for our democracies?
To get answers to these questions, Follow the Money started the #RecoveryFiles. In the coming months, journalists and media from 12 member states will join forces. Together, we will do a thorough investigation of the EU recovery effort.
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’ (New)
- Automotive industry scores billions for their polluting hybrids from European 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 (New)
- Interview | EU-topambtenaar Céline Gauer: aanpakken huizenmarkt is voorwaarde voor EU-miljarden (New)
ABC (Spain)
Átlátszó (Hungary)
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 (New)
Iltalehti (Finland)
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 (New)
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 (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 (New)
Oštro (Slovenia)
- Evropske milijarde brez demokratične razprave
- Komisija zavira sledenje evropskim milijardam
- Avtomobilska industrija sporni zmagovalec sklada za okrevanje (New)
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
ZackZack (Austria)
Meet the team
The Recovery Files is made possible by research from the following journalists:
- Gabi Horn, Átlátszó (Hungary)
- Attila Bíró, Context Investigative Reporting Project (Romania)
- Staffan Dahllöf, DEO.dk (Denmark / Sweden)
- Petr Vodsedalek, Deník (Czech Republic)
- Remy Koens, Follow the Money (The Netherlands)
- Peter Teffer, Follow the Money (The Netherlands)
- Lise Witteman, Follow the Money (The Netherlands / Brussels)
- Marcos García Rey, freelance (Spain)
- Jarno Liski, Iltalehti (Finland)
- Carlotta Indiano, Irpimedia (Italy)
- Giulio Rubino, Irpimedia (Italy)
- Marie Charrel, Le Monde (France)
- Adrien Sénécat, Le Monde (France)
- Piotr Maciej Kaczyński, Onet.pl (Poland)
- Ante Pavić, Oštro (Croatia)
- Matej Zwitter, Oštro (Slovenia)
- Hans-Martin Tillack, Die Welt (Germany)
- Ben Weiser, ZackZack (Austria)