Investigate Europe

11/06/2025

An investigation by Investigate Europe and Reporters United, published jointly with media partners across Europe, shows that an Israeli state defence company is benefiting from EU defence projects.

The EU has awarded millions to a European subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), a company owned by the Israeli state and involved in the Gaza conflict.

Greece’s Intracom Defense, acquired by IAI, is part of 15 European Defence Fund (EDF) projects, seven launched after the Gaza war began. It has received at least €15 million.

Intracom Defense coordinates Actus, a four-year, €59 million drone programme with France’s Safran and 21 other European entities, co-funded by the Commission and seven EU governments.

Under Article 9 of the EDF Regulation, foreign-owned firms can receive EU defence funding if they are based in Europe and provide government-approved guarantees.

Intracom Defense said it complies with all laws and that it is a Greek company. IAI did not respond to requests for comment.

📍 https://www.investigate-europe.eu/posts/european-defence-fund-millions-benefiting-israeli-state-owned-drone-manufacturer

09/06/2025

We are proud to hold the official title of European Press Prize Laureates for our investigation, Deadly prices, in which we analysed inequality in access to medicines in Europe.

This award, presented by a prestigious jury of media experts, recognises the strength of cross-border investigative journalism. Although we were not the final winners, we’re honoured that our work was nominated alongside Europe’s best investigative projects by a distinguished jury of media experts.

Below is some of the jury’s feedback on our investigation.

A huge thank you to all our media partners who made this collaboration possible and helped the story reach readers across the continent.

Süddeutsche Zeitung, Il Fatto Quotidiano infoLibre
EUobserver ARTE Gazeta Wyborcza, investigace.cz, Partizán
Investigatívne centrum Jána Kuciaka, Ostro DER STANDARD,
Monitor/ARD/tagesschau, Deutschlandfunk, Reporters United EfSyn TheJournal.ie openDemocracy, British Medical Journal, Trouw Yle, Delfi 15min, Eesti Ekspress, Klassenkampen Tages-Anzeiger

💊 Read Deadly prices here: https://www.investigate-europe.eu/themes/investigations/deadly-prices-europe-big-pharma-medicines

05/06/2025

🚨 Our investigation into unlicensed gambling is being targeted.

In the wake of publishing our cross-border investigation into Europe’s gambling industry, , we’ve been targeted by a surge of bogus copyright complaints on Google, including from accounts impersonating our team.

More than 50 frivolous complaints have been filed in what appears to be a coordinated attempt to silence our journalism.

In March, Investigate Europe and partners revealed how gambling firm Soft2Bet is linked to over 100 blacklisted online casinos. These sites attract millions of visits each month, despite lawsuits, fines, and bankruptcies in offshore jurisdictions.

Soft2Bet denied wrongdoing at the time, but has not responded to our recent inquiries.

While our article remains online, versions published by our partners in Estonia, Poland, Greece, and Malta were temporarily delisted by Google.

Experts warn that misuse of takedown tools represents a serious threat to press freedom and shows how tech firms have failed to meaningfully address the problem.

Policymakers in the EU and UK are now weighing reforms to protect journalism from this kind of abuse.

📍 https://www.investigate-europe.eu/posts/shady-bets-google-copyright-claims-censor-investigate-europe-gambling-investigation-soft2bet

19/05/2025

🚨 Investigate Europe at Dataharvest 2025

This week in Mechelen, our team will be part of the programme.

We’ll share insights from our latest investigations into AI and surveillance, sanctions evasion, Big Pharma, the arms industry — and discuss the challenges and rewards of cross-border journalism across Europe.

Here’s where to find us:

Friday, May 23

⏰ 1:15pm – Investigations coordinator: one title, multiple realities
⏰ 3:00pm – Keep calm and coordinate
⏰ 4:45pm – Watching the watchers: investigating AI & surveillance
⏰ 4:45pm – Risk & rewards: sanctions evasion in customs data
⏰ 4:45pm – From journalist to manager

Saturday, May 24

⏰ 9:30am – Investigating the EU
⏰ 10:45am & 12:30pm – Dataharvest Cafés: chat with us
⏰ 1:45pm – Researching the arms industry
⏰ 3:30 pm –Investigating Big Pharma
⏰ 3:30 pm –Arms & defence industry (roundtable)

We look forward to connecting with fellow journalists, researchers, and readers.

Let’s talk collaborations!

16/05/2025

📢 We’re hiring: Managing Director

Investigate Europe is looking for a strategic and experienced Managing Director to join our growing team. We are a cross-border collective of journalists based in 12 countries, publishing with leading media partners across Europe.

🧭 About the role
Lead operations, fundraising, financial management, and represent Investigate Europe to funders and partners across Europe.

📌 Full-time, fully remote (2–3 in-person meetings per year)
Salary: €60,000–€70,000 per year (according to our pay agreement)

⏰ Deadline: 6pm CET, 16 June 2025

✨ We’re looking for someone with:

- Demonstrable experience in fundraising, ideally within journalism or the broader media/nonprofit sector.

- An excellent track record in building and maintaining long-term relationships with funders, foundations, and strategic partners.

- Strong financial management skills

- A commitment to co-operative values and working in a diverse, multilingual team.

- An understanding of journalism and the European media landscape.

This is a chance to help strengthen a collective dedicated to public-interest journalism across borders.

📩 Send your CV + cover letter (addressing skills & experience) to: [email protected]

🔗 https://www.investigate-europe.eu/opportunities/682708585fa2cb5894e6eb19

10/04/2025

We’re in Perugia this week for the International Journalism Festival, and we're thrilled to announce that our Deadly Prices investigation has been nominated for the European Press Prize! 👏

Investigate Europe coordinated the investigation and collaborated with Süddeutsche Zeitung and 25 other media partners. The announcement was just made at the festival, the world’s largest journalism gathering. We’re proud to be shortlisted alongside 25 impressive projects, selected from 810 submissions.

Deadly Prices is one of our most ambitious cross-border investigations to date. We uncovered the deep inequalities in access to essential medicines across Europe — and the systemic reasons behind them. This nomination recognises the hard work of our entire team and the importance of shining a light on issues that affect millions across the continent.

🏆 Winners will be announced at the Award Ceremony in Bari, Italy, on 28 May.

🔍 Read the full Deadly Prices investigation via the link in the bio!

🤝 😃 If you’re also in Perugia, let’s meet!

21/03/2025

⚽ Revealed: how gambling embedded itself into European football

Almost 300 top-flight European football clubs have signed contracts with betting providers for the 2024/25 season. One in three clubs has a gambling sponsor on their shirts, and almost half of all leagues rely on gambling or lottery companies as their ‘title sponsor’.

Our new investigation details how the gambling industry has infiltrated all corners of the European game.

Despite restrictions being introduced in some countries, clubs in Belgium and Italy are exploiting loopholes to maintain betting logos on their kits, the investigation finds. Other clubs are profiting from partnerships with opaque international brands and operators based in offshore jurisdictions.

Read the full story as part of our investigation: https://www.investigate-europe.eu/posts/revealed-how-gambling-betting-industry-sponsors-european-football

18/03/2025

🎰 Shady bets: How Europe’s gambling industry spun out of control

Our new investigation uncovers unlicensed websites, offshore secrecy and a growing public health crisis in online gambling. It also details how the industry operates in a void of EU regulation. It is a collaboration with media from 11 countries, exposing the spin of Europe's multibillion-euro betting industry.

Investigate Europe exposes:

⚠️ The EU’s regulatory void — Online gambling revenues soared 200% between 2018-2023, hitting €20 billion, yet no EU-wide laws govern the sector.

⚠️ The hidden underworld — Unregulated operators thrive, with one expert calling it an “iceberg marketplace”—what’s legal is just the tip; below lurks criminality.

⚠️ Big names, blacklisted sites — Soft2bet, an award-winning betting group, is linked to 114 blacklisted gambling websites operating without licenses. One of its brands is even a betting partner of Italian football giant AC Milan. (Soft2bet denies any wrongdoing.)

⚠️Meanwhile, Malta remains a haven. A little-known law protects the world’s biggest betting firms from multi-million euro claims. Lawyers say it violates EU law.

Read it here:

Glitzy offers and bonus bets lure in millions to online gambling every day. Yet behind the crafted promotions lies a different reality. One defined by unlicensed operations, offshore accounts and a growing public health crisis.

14/03/2025

🎰 Dozens of blacklisted gambling sites linked to award-winning European firm 

Investigate Europe has uncovered a vast network of unlicensed gambling websites operating across the continent—all linked to the award-winning Soft2Bet group.

Despite being blacklisted in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal, these platforms continue to attract millions of players every month. Some have even secured sponsorship deals with major football clubs like AC Milan.

Soft2Bet denies any wrongdoing.

🔎 Read the full story in our   investigation—Link in bio.

21/01/2025

📢 Value of public interest journalism: exploring the relationship with whistleblowing

Join the Journalism Value Project for an inspiring discussion with top experts and practitioners as we dive into the critical role of whistleblowing in public interest journalism.

🎙 Speakers:
✨ Anna Myers, executive director of Whistleblowing International Network (WIN)
✨ Simona Levi, founder of Xnet
✨ Dr. Vigjilenca Abazi, co-founder & executive director of European Whistleblowing Institute (EWI)
✨ Vladimir Radomirović, editor-in-chief of Pištaljka

🗣 Moderator: Peter Matjašič, executive director of Investigate Europe

🗓 When? 27 January
⏰ Time? 16:00 CET

🔗 Register now! Link in bio!

03/12/2024

Today, on , we are delighted to launch our end-of-year fundraising campaign. This is an opportunity to support long-term, impactful journalism that sheds light on the most important issues facing Europe today.

🤝 Your donation will help us:
- Fund in-depth investigative reporting
- Expand our reach and impact across multiple countries
- Support a dedicated team of journalists and researchers

👉 Donate now and help us connect the dots on Europe: https://lnkd.in/dRQeC8gz

🎬 Hear from our team why your donation matters.

24/10/2024

📣We are hiring! 📣 Are you an experienced journalist with an eye for compelling investigative stories? Investigate Europe is looking for a Coordinating Editor to join its team.

As Coordinating Editor, you will be responsible for coordinating cross-border investigations, liaising with media partners, editing investigative stories and developing new ideas. If you have strong expertise in in-depth projects and have worked in national or international newsrooms, we want to hear from you.

🚨To apply, please email your cover letter, CV and three recent examples of investigations to [email protected] by Friday 6 December 2024.

Don't miss this opportunity to be part of a dynamic team doing meaningful investigative journalism across Europe. Find out more here: https://www.investigate-europe.eu/opportunities/671a07807cbe5f114a06fd7f