Supported projects

NUMAN – On land surrounding a huge sugar refinery in Nigeria, dangerously high concentrations of heavy metals appear to have had a devastating effect on people’s lives and farming output.

AMSTERDAM / ANTWERP / IMMINGHAM / LAGOS – International oil traders continue to dump toxic waste products into road fuels sold to African countries, polluting the environment, damaging engines and causing life-changing health problems for citizens, despite the efforts of the regulators and civil ...

CHAMONIX / VIOLA / PRAGELATO / TEGLIO – "Who Owns Our Winter" is a cross-border investigation into the lead-up to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina and the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps which explores the environmental, social, and economic implications of adopting a development model ...

ROME / SOFIA / BUCHAREST – Proper recycling of PV panels can generate large quantities of raw materials crucial for the energy transition. Yet, due to the presence of harmful and toxic substances, solar waste can become extremely dangerous when it ends up in the wrong hands.

ROME - "Territori di inchiesta" project was created to empower young storytellers network in Italy to enhance climate investigative journalism and improve such coverage at the national level, as Italy is one of the places in the world that are most exposed to losses from extreme weather damage ...

HELSINKI / LIMA - This investigation shows into the supply chain of Diamond Green Diesel (DGD), a US green fuel producer and a joint venture between the fossil fuel company Valero and the multinational rendering company Darling Ingredients.

LECCE / THESSALONIKI / VLORA – This investigation uncovers critical regulatory and environmental issues surrounding the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), Europe’s largest fossil fuel project which spans Italy, Albania, and Greece. 

TIRANA - Albania is experiencing an unprecedented surge in tourism, with more than 7.5 million tourists last year and more than 10 million expected next year. This rapid growth is putting considerable pressure on the country's natural environment.

OSIJEK – Mura-Drava-Danube is a UNESCO-protected biosphere reserve. It spans over 300,000 ha and includes more than 700 km of connected rivers. This investigation reveals poor management practices, lack of cooperation between five national governments, and lack of conservation efforts.

MEXICO CITY - This investigation reveals the scary scale of industrial pollution in Mexico caused by the activities of Volkswagen, BASF, and Bayer, Germany-based companies. Legal loopholes and lax oversight allow their facilities to continue discharging toxic waste.

IZMIR / CATANIA – Forest wildfires have increased in size and impact. Every year, 375,000 hectares of land in Mediterranean countries are scorched. Journalists tried to identify the main factors that lead to these disasters, which treaten entire ecosystems.

VIENNA – A two-day intensive workshop featuring a unique program designed for investigative journalists with diverse backgrounds and varying levels of technical skills.

PALMA / ACI TREZZA / AGIA NAPA  – This investigation focuses on how the EU laws have promoted industrial fishing in the Mediterranean, to the detriment of Southern European small-scale fishermen.

GOTLAND / MONTPELLIER – Is global warming making climate conditions less favourable for grape cultivation in southern Europe and more favourable in the north? The cross-border team conducted on-site reporting in four countries to see if this is true.

PARIS – Billed by the fossil fuel industry as a climate solution, dozens of planned blue hydrogen projects in Europe could consume more natural gas than a country like France, and produce emissions on a par with Denmark. These findings raise new questions over blue hydrogen’s climate impact at a ...

NUUK — This cross-border investigation focuses on how the increasing interest in the Arctic area – especially in Greenland and in the Russian northern shores – is re-shaping the economic and political equilibrium and is impacting the environment on a global level.

SKOPJE - The Macedonian grayling is a unique butterfly species which resides exclusively on the outskirts of a small Macedonian town, with no other known locations worldwide. The specimen of this rare and endangered butterfly can be purchased at low prices across Europe — how did this become ...

MADRID / ONLINE - The Open Veins of Europe was an exchange programme for 29 journalists from Latin America and Europe, designed as a fellowship to explore the environmental issues that connect both regions.

AMSTERDAM / BONN / HELSINKI / STOCKHOLM — Manure is a valuable part of the agricultural cycle but becomes a huge environmental threat when there's too much of it. The team of journalists in four countries tried to investigate the manure surplus, and discovered that related EU data is not readily ...

BUCHAREST / PAZARDZHIK —  The green transition is not necessarily a clean one. The European frenzy for green energy projects, and the massive funds assigned for this process generated a chaotic battle for agricultural lands in Romania and Bulgaria, countries particularly vulnerable to corruption ...

MADRID / FERRARA / BERLIN / PARIS / BARCELONA - 'Visualising Investigations' consisted of five different training and networking sessions in five different cities: Ferrara, Berlin, Paris, Madrid and Barcelona, with the aim to promote collaboration, networking, and the exchange of knowledge between ...

DAGESTAN / ASTRAKHAN / ATYRAU — Amid the Ukraine conflict, the Caspian Sea has gained importance for energy and trade. As Baku will host COP29 in late 2024, the world's largest inland body of water faces a severe crisis. The water levels have dropped, and the coastlines have been shifting.

EU / AFRICA / MENA – Five European oil and gas majors rank among the top 10 largest polluters in Africa and the Middle East when it comes to gas flaring, reveals this investigative series. These companies include Shell, BP, ENI, TotalEnergies and Perenco, as revealed by the Environmental ...

DANUBE - Romania and Ukraine share a very important river — the Danube. As a transport artery, one of the mouths of the Danube started to be used at the beginning of the war for export. 

BUCHAREST - EU residents are buying 40% more clothing than a few decades ago, with less than half being collected for reuse and only 1% recycled. The investigation focused on understanding whether the alternatives to fast fashion are sustainable from an economic, social, and environmental ...

ONLINE – This comprehensive three-part online workshop series aimed to support investigative journalists reporting on the complex intersection of migration and climate change in Europe.

ALMERÍA - At the far end of Europe, on the southern border of Spain, lies Almería. It is a huge province completely covered with white plastic, harbouring Europe’s largest vegetable garden. It is the place where our tomatoes come from, even in winter. But under all the plastic, strange things happen ...

TIRANA / DURRES / BELGRADE / PRISTINA - Across the Balkans, particularly in Albania, a disturbing trend is emerging among organised crime figures and influencers: the ownership of exotic pets like lion and tiger cubs.

SOFIA / RUSE - This cross-border training project for environmental investigative journalists, organised by the Bulgarian National Television (BNT) took place between July and November 2024. It focused on the ecological issues of the Black Sea region and the Danube River.

PRAGUE - PFAS, a family of extremely hazardous chemicals linked to severe health issues, have been found in drinking water and vegetables, among others all over Europe. Against all odds, local communities and researchers across Europe are acting to find solutions to PFAS contamination in their food ...