💥 Some personal news: From September, I will move on from editing the Europe Express newsletter and focus on reporting on security and migration, and doing investigative stories from Brussels. Very excited for this new chapter - don’t hesitate to reach out with tips.

Tomorrow marks ten years since the Brexit referendum. Here's how Nigel Farage used EU funds to finance rallies to campaign against the bloc: www.ft.com/content/e637...

Nigel Farage’s Brexit rallies were funded from the EU budget

European monies paid for anti-immigrant posters during ‘Say No to EU’ tour

ft.com

💥 Trump threatened to stop supplying weapons to Ukraine in order to pressure European Nato allies to join a “coalition of the willing” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Nato’s Rutte warned capitals Trump was “rather hysterical” about their refusal w @lauramdubois.ft.com as.ft.com/r/d508debe-f...

Trump threatened to stop weapons for Ukraine unless Europe joined Hormuz coalition

[FREE TO READ] Nato’s top official urged key alliance members to offer help to US to reopen key waterway

as.ft.com

The final piece in our Hungary series came out this morning: Budapest recovered and handed over less than a fifth of the funds flagged by Brussels for potential fraud between 2015 and 2024 @financialtimes.com www.ft.com/content/8973...

How Hungary sidesteps Europe’s fraud watchdog

Viktor Orbán’s government has returned just 18% of funds flagged by the EU’s anti-graft body

ft.com

And our latest: by @lauramdubois.ft.com and Marton Dunai: how Hungary sidesteps attempts to get suspect cash back www.ft.com/content/8973...

How Hungary sidesteps Europe’s fraud watchdog

Viktor Orbán’s government has returned just 18 per cent of funds flagged by the EU’s anti-graft body

ft.com

FT investigation finds 13 associates of Hungary’s premier won large share of state works after he took power. Read more here: ft.trib.al/WNoEKXc

💥 Brussels has requested that the EU’s anti-fraud agency investigate Lord Peter Mandelson’s actions while he was serving the British trade commissioner between 2004 and 2008.  Scoop w @pickardje.bsky.social & @lauramdubois.ft.com @financialtimes.com as.ft.com/r/0542a0fa-4...

EU’s anti-fraud agency set to investigate Peter Mandelson

[FREE TO READ] Probe into former commissioner for trade is expected to be wide-ranging

as.ft.com

Two very big things here: 1) since sanctioning of Rosneft and Lukoil, the largest exporter of Russian crude is an entity called "Redwood Global". It SO HAPPENS that they share an e-mail server with a group of Azeri traders who EU sanctions officials believe are pals with the chief exec of Rosneft.

Chris Cook@chriscook.news · 6mo ago

one of the world's largest smuggling networks has accidentally exposed itself because of a stupid e-mail configuration blunder, which has revealed around 50 apparently unconnected companies are all sharing back-office functions: www.ft.com/content/4310...

one of the world's largest smuggling networks has accidentally exposed itself because of a stupid e-mail configuration blunder, which has revealed around 50 apparently unconnected companies are all sharing back-office functions: www.ft.com/content/4310...

Email blunder exposes $90bn Russian oil smuggling ring

Apparent network of companies using same server includes little-known group that has become country’s largest oil exporter

ft.com

FT Exclusive: An IT blunder has revealed an apparent smuggling ring that has moved at least $90bn of Russian oil and is playing a central role in funding the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine. ft.trib.al/cmcaLCc

A story from last year that’s more salient than ever by @lauramdubois.ft.com, Davjd Djambazov and me ::: Europe builds for war as arms factories expand at triple speed : www.ft.com/content/ce61...

Europe builds for war as arms factories expand at triple speed

FT radar analysis reveals historic scale of rearmament, stretching over 7mn sq metres of new development

ft.com

Years ago, Denmark's migration minister Rasmus Stoklund was “considered a racist and a controversial figure”, he says. Today, Copenhagen's hard-line stance has become mainstream, and migration figures have dropped. But at what cost, and are these policies effective? www.ft.com/content/0bc9...

Has Europe learnt to manage migration?

Policymakers say strict new measures have driven down irregular arrivals, but experts say the underlying factors are little changed

ft.com

Great piece by @maxseddon.bsky.social @lauramdubois.ft.com @henryjfoy.ft.com laying out the risks of retaliation from Russia if the EU manages to pull off its frozen assets plan -- TBD at a summit today. www.ft.com/content/616d...

Putin’s retaliation threat over frozen assets rattles EU capitals

Italy, Belgium and Austria worry about Russia moving against their companies

ft.com

We tracked down Russia's central bank assets around Europe - and found that France is holding €18bn mostly at commercial banks and has been shielding them from plans to use the funds for Ukraine. @financialtimes.com www.ft.com/content/fe30...

France shielding €18bn Russian asset pot from EU ‘reparations loan’ push

Paris guarded names of private banks holding world’s second biggest accumulation of immobilised Russian state funds

ft.com

For this story, we used AI to read more than 13,000 documents to identify which MEPs declared a conflict of interest. While dozens have side jobs overlapping with their parliamentary duties, only eight declared a conflict of interest. With @jonathanvincent.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/0466...

Scores of MEPs hold side jobs in sectors where they steer EU laws

FT analysis identifies paid work that has not been declared as a potential conflict of interest

ft.com

Great work by @lauramdubois.ft.com breaking out just how much European MEPs earn in their side jobs — side jobs that often overlap with policy areas they work on in parliament. on.ft.com/4okX8MT

Scores of MEPs hold side jobs in sectors where they steer EU laws

[FREE TO READ] FT analysis identifies paid work that has not been declared as a potential conflict of interest

on.ft.com

Opposition to the move from capitals that don’t want to reward the oligarch or endorse Russian court rulings could stymie efforts to pass the EU’s next package of sanctions against Moscow Scoop with @lauramdubois.ft.com & @mjruehl.bsky.social on.ft.com/4o7M3i9

EU plans to hand Deripaska-linked assets to Raiffeisen

[FREE TO READ] Some European officials worry lifting sanctions would bolster Russian retaliation against western companies

on.ft.com

EU capitals are discussing a proposal to lift sanctions on assets linked to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska in order to compensate Austria’s Raiffeisen Bank International for damages it had to pay in Russia. With @mjruehl.bsky.social @henryjfoy.ft.com on.ft.com/3WmgCo8

EU plans to hand Deripaska-linked assets to Raiffeisen

Some European officials worry lifting sanctions would bolster Russian retaliation against western companies

on.ft.com

Law enforcement found €2.7mn in cash at a customs broker's office, plus €300k at his house. EPPO believes the seized euro are profits linked to Chinese organised crime groups shipping goods into Europe without paying required duties and taxes. www.ft.com/content/2210...

Greek customs broker caught with €3mn cash in China-linked fraud probe

Bloc’s top prosecutor says investigation highlights ‘massive’ criminal effort to avoid taxes and duties

ft.com

The EU has styled itself as a world leader in climate change policies and human rights. As we report in this morning’s Europe Express with @lauramdubois.ft.com & @andybounds.bsky.social, Brussels is not living up its own standards on both on.ft.com/4mpUPq9

Why fighting over climate plans risks leaving the EU ‘impotent’ at the UN

[FREE TO READ] Also in this newsletter: UN refugee agency warns right to asylum is ‘under threat’

on.ft.com

Brussels is preparing ways to use Russia’s frozen assets to back €170bn of “reparation loans” to Ukraine, using cash balances from the matured assets. With @paolatamma.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/4585...

EU explores using €170bn of Russia’s frozen assets to fund Ukraine

Some capitals remain wary over ‘reparation loans’ plan, as US calls on G7 to tap Moscow’s money immobilised abroad

ft.com

Belgium is open to discuss riskier ways to maximise profits arising from Russian immobilised assets, provided the EU shares the legal risks, its foreign minister told @lauramdubois.ft.com and me - an option just suggested by Ursula von der Leyen in her SOTEU. on.ft.com/4m5yFt9

Belgium to soften stance on frozen Russian assets if EU shares risk

[FREE TO READ] Foreign minister warns bloc not to ‘kill the hen laying golden eggs’

on.ft.com

This piece on the massive scale of European rearmament based on satellite images is so good that some readers think we’re doing the GRU’s work for it. on.ft.com/46OwOFn

Europe builds for war as arms factories expand at triple speed

FT radar analysis reveals historic scale of rearmament, stretching over 7mn sq metres of new development

on.ft.com

The two types of reader: those who like the story and those who think we are providing material assistance to the enemy on.ft.com/46OwOFn

We wanted to know if the money that the EU has put into rearmament is turning into production capacity — and the answer is: yes. Industry is rearming.

Financial Times@financialtimes.com · 12mo ago

Analysis of radar satellite data shows rearmament on a historic scale, stretching over 7mn sq metres of new industrial development on.ft.com/3HsEbYG

Resharing a story we worked on for several months, taking a closer look at the state of Europe’s defence industry. Our analysis of satellite and radar images shows that Europe’s rearmament is already well under way. With @chriscook.news and colleagues on.ft.com/46OwOFn

Europe builds for war as arms factories expand at triple speed

FT radar analysis reveals historic scale of rearmament, stretching over 7mn sq metres of new development

on.ft.com

Three years ago, the EU criticised the UK's Rwanda asylum scheme as inhumane and said it broke international law. Now, it's resuscitating those plans. Sending asylum-seekers outside the bloc “has so much traction now”, Danish migration minister Kaare Dybvad told me. www.ft.com/content/e38a...

The UK ditched its Rwanda plan. The EU is reviving it

Majority of European capitals now back outsourcing asylum outside the bloc

ft.com

How NOT to prepare and present a budget proposal to ensure buy in from colleagues and eventually EU countries — who will have to foot the bill. With @henryjfoy.ft.com and @bmoens.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/c88e...

Von der Leyen botches €2tn EU budget proposal with chaotic infighting

Centralised and chaotic process has compromised launch of commission president’s spending plan, colleagues say

ft.com

“We take note — with a degree of surprise — of the reported intention of France to sign a bilateral readmission arrangement,” says the letter sent by Spain, Italy & three other Mediterranean countries to @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu’s chief of staff and seen by @lauramdubois.ft.com on.ft.com/4l0D5BQ

Italy and Spain slam France over proposed migration pact with UK

[FREE TO READ] Rome and Madrid fear they will have to take back asylum seekers who cross the Channel

on.ft.com

💥 EU to present 18th Russian sanctions package this afternoon, including measures targeting Nord Stream, lowering the oil price cap, and giving Belgium legal safeguards over the €190bn in frozen Moscow assets held in the country on.ft.com/3HySGKk w @lauramdubois.ft.com

EU to target Nord Stream and Russian oil cap in new sanctions package

[FREE TO READ] Commission is due to present its 18th package of measures against Moscow on Tuesday

on.ft.com