Investigate Europe

Investigate Europe is a nonprofit, cross-border investigative journalism organization focused on European issues that are difficult to examine within the boundaries of a single national media system. Founded in 2016 by economic journalists from several European countries, it developed a collaborative reporting model in which journalists work across languages and jurisdictions and publish their findings with established media partners. The organization was formally registered as a nonprofit in 2019. Its reporting combines conventional investigative journalism with open-source research, data analysis and freedom-of-information requests. The subject matter described in its public profile includes migration, conflict, corruption, economic policy and European institutional decision-making. Rather than operating primarily as a publication tied to one national audience, Investigate Europe frames its work around problems whose causes, legal structures or consequences extend across borders. Its investigations are therefore distributed through partner outlets in multiple European countries, including newspapers and digital publications such as The Guardian, Público, Mediapart, Il Fatto Quotidiano, Dagens Nyheter, Gazeta Wyborcza, Republik, Der Standard and Tagesspiegel. Among its best-known projects is reporting on the Energy Charter Treaty, an investment-protection agreement that had received comparatively limited public attention. Investigate Europe's reporting helped bring the treaty and its implications into wider public debate. A related petition attracted more than one million signatures, and several European Union member states subsequently withdrew from the treaty. The organization has also reported on the treatment of unaccompanied minors in the Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, including publication of the Moria logbook, and has maintained the Secrets of Council project, which examines transparency and decision-making in the Council of the European Union. Investigate Europe's work is supported by a mixture of foundations, journalism-support programs and other donors. Publicly identified supporters include Fritt Ord, the Schöpflin Foundation, the Rudolf Augstein Foundation, the Reva and David Logan Foundation, Journalismfund Europe and IJ4EU. The organization is not described as a listed company and its public identity is that of a nonprofit journalistic cooperative rather than a conventional commercial media brand. The organization has received or been shortlisted for a number of journalism honors. These include the Keynes Society Award for Economic Journalism in 2017, the Hans Matthöfer Award for Economic Journalism in 2019, a 2020 longlist placement in the Documentary category of the Henri Nannen Prize, 2021 shortlists for the German Reporterpreis and European Press Prize for Distinguished Reporting, the 2022 IJ4EU Impact Award and a 2023 Highly Recommended recognition in the International News Media Organisation of the Year category from the British Society of Editors. Its significance lies principally in its collaborative reporting infrastructure and its ability to connect national media audiences with European-level policy and accountability questions.

Investigate Europe emerged in 2016 from cooperation among economic journalists based in different European countries. Its founding concept was that major European questions could not always be investigated effectively through national reporting alone. Policies created or negotiated at European level often have consequences in many countries, while the relevant documents, officials, companies and affected communities may be distributed across several jurisdictions. The organization consequently adopted a cross-border newsroom model, bringing together reporters who could work in different languages and media environments. The organization concentrates on public-interest investigations rather than daily general-news coverage. Its methods include document-based reporting, open-source research, data journalism and freedom-of-information requests. Projects may examine European institutions, economic agreements, migration systems, conflict, corruption or other topics where public accountability is fragmented. Findings are generally published through cooperation with established media outlets, allowing investigations to reach audiences in more than one country and to be adapted to local contexts. Investigate Europe was formally registered as a nonprofit organization in 2019 and operates as a European cooperative. Oliver Moldenhauer and Elisa Simantke are identified as its first managing directors. The organization's funding model combines support from foundations, journalism funds and donor programs. Named supporters include Fritt Ord, the Schöpflin Foundation, the Rudolf Augstein Foundation, the Reva and David Logan Foundation, Journalismfund Europe and IJ4EU. The available reference material does not establish a single commercial owner or parent company. One of the organization's most consequential investigations concerned the Energy Charter Treaty, an investment-protection agreement that enabled certain claims by investors against states. Investigate Europe's reporting brought broader attention to the treaty and helped fuel a petition that gathered more than one million signatures. Several EU member states subsequently withdrew from the agreement, making the project an example of cross-border journalism contributing to a policy debate with regulatory consequences. The organization has also investigated conditions surrounding migration and asylum. Its reporting on the Moria refugee camp on Lesbos included the Moria logbook, which documented conditions affecting unaccompanied minors housed at the camp. Another continuing line of work is Secrets of Council, a project launched in 2017 to examine and improve transparency around decision-making in the Council of the European Union. Together, these projects illustrate Investigate Europe's interest in institutions and systems that can be difficult for citizens to scrutinize through ordinary national reporting. Investigate Europe's work has appeared in major European newspapers and digital publications, including The Guardian, Público, Mediapart, Il Fatto Quotidiano, Dagens Nyheter, Gazeta Wyborcza, Republik, Der Standard and Tagesspiegel. It has also received recognition from journalism organizations. Reported honors and nominations include the Keynes Society Award for Economic Journalism in 2017, the Hans Matthöfer Award for Economic Journalism in 2019, a 2020 Henri Nannen Prize longlist placement, 2021 shortlists for the German Reporterpreis and European Press Prize for Distinguished Reporting, the 2022 IJ4EU Impact Award and a 2023 Highly Recommended distinction from the British Society of Editors. The available sources do not provide enough information to describe a later ownership change, closure or successor organization.

• 2023

  British Society of Editors recognition

  [1]Investigate Europeen.wikipedia.org

  Investigate Europe was rated Highly Recommended in the International News Media Organisation of the Year category.

• 2022

  IJ4EU Impact Award

  [1]Investigate Europeen.wikipedia.org

  The organization was recognized with the IJ4EU Impact Award.

• 2019

  Registered as a nonprofit

  [1]Investigate Europeen.wikipedia.org

  Investigate Europe was formally registered as a nonprofit European cooperative.

• 2019

  Hans Matthöfer Award for Economic Journalism

  [1]Investigate Europeen.wikipedia.org

  Investigate Europe received the Hans Matthöfer Award for Economic Journalism.

• 2017

  Secrets of Council project begins

  [1]Investigate Europeen.wikipedia.org

  Investigate Europe began work on Secrets of Council, a project examining transparency and decision-making in the Council of the European Union.

• 2017

  Keynes Society Award for Economic Journalism

  [1]Investigate Europeen.wikipedia.org

  The organization received the Keynes Society Award for Economic Journalism.

• 2016

  Organization founded

  [1]Investigate Europeen.wikipedia.org

  A group of economic journalists from several European countries established Investigate Europe as a cross-border investigative reporting initiative.

Independent, nonprofit and collaborative investigative journalism focused on European-level issues and cross-border accountability.

• Investigative journalism · 2016

  Cross-border investigative investigations

  Investigate Europe produces collaborative investigations involving journalists from multiple European countries. The work addresses issues whose evidence, decision-makers or effects extend across national borders and is distributed through partner media so that findings can reach audiences in several markets.

• Institutional transparency project · 2017

  Secrets of Council

  Secrets of Council is a continuing reporting project focused on transparency and decision-making in the Council of the European Union. It examines how European-level decisions are made and seeks to make institutional processes more understandable and accessible to the public.

• Migration investigation

  Moria logbook investigation

  This reporting project examined conditions at the Moria refugee camp on Lesbos, including the circumstances in which unaccompanied minors were housed. Publication of the Moria logbook brought documentary evidence about the camp's operation into public discussion.

• Economic and regulatory investigation

  Energy Charter Treaty investigation

  Investigate Europe's reporting on the Energy Charter Treaty examined a relatively little-known investment-protection framework and its implications for European states and public policy. The work helped stimulate public debate and was associated with a petition that attracted more than one million signatures.

• 2017Secrets of Council

  European Union

  Investigate Europe began a long-running transparency project examining the Council of the European Union and the public visibility of its decision-making.

  Outcome. The project continued as an investigative reporting initiative; the available source does not quantify a specific institutional outcome.

  Source
• Energy Charter Treaty investigation and petition

  European Union · Europe

  Investigate Europe investigated the Energy Charter Treaty and explained its investment-protection provisions and policy implications to a broad European audience. The reporting helped support wider public mobilization around the treaty, including a petition signed by more than one million people.

  Outcome. Several EU member states subsequently withdrew from the treaty, although the available source does not attribute each individual government decision solely to the investigation.

  Source
• Moria refugee camp investigation

  Greece · Europe

  Reporting on the Moria refugee camp on Lesbos documented conditions affecting migrants, including unaccompanied minors, and included publication of the Moria logbook.

  Outcome. The investigation raised public awareness of conditions at the camp; the available source does not specify a discrete policy response.

  Source

1. 1Investigate Europeen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Investigate Europe official websiteinvestigate-europe.eu