Professor Joline Beulens, an internationally renowned lifestyle researcher working at the Amsterdam UMC, is no longer a member of the Health Council’s

This dossier is the result of a five months-long collaboration of five European journalists. Together, they investigated the transportation of ammonia

There is growing evidence that glyphosate, the world’s most widely used weedkiller, carries serious risks for human health and the environment. Even s

Ireland was set to become the first EU country to put cancer warning labels on alcoholic drinks. But following a massive lobby campaign by Big Booze –

More and more Dutch young people are becoming addicted to vaping. This is not surprising, as illegal vapes with sweet flavors and excessive nicotine l

Over the past decade, foreign trade ministers granted permits worth hundreds of millions for military exports to countries where there was a serious r

Big Food is making more and more money with dietary supplements that promise to combat obesity, stress and menopause symptoms. However, nearly half of

Europe’s unwithered solidarity with Israel is evident in the EU’s biggest research program, Horizon Europe, also after the Hamas attacks of October 7,

The Czech ammunition initiative for Ukraine emerged in early 2024 as a response to the monthslong suspension of US military aid and Brussels’ failure

Large food manufacturers are increasingly positioning themselves as ‘health companies’. But not by making their chocolate, sauces, and desserts less u

Analysis by the Investigative Desk with support from the Tobacco Control Research Group and Tax Justice Network Africa, has identified significant dis

Three men sit at a table with the Environmental Reporting Collective (ERC), sipping coffee and smoking cigarettes. It is a warm and quiet evening at a

Housing First is an attempt to reduce the number of homeless people to zero. First a stable home, then we see what someone needs. But the number of ho

Medicines like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro are popular weight-loss drugs. ‘Big Food’ sees users as a new outlet and is pushing cheesy factory pizzas,

Food manufacturers earn from our propensity to eat unhealthily, and we pay with our health. With clever tricks, copied from the tobacco industry, they

Nespresso promises with its quality mark sustainable coffee and better circumstances for the farmers and the environment. But, Columbian coffee farmer

The Dutch cabinet allowed €264 million worth of military exports to Egypt, Indonesia and Pakistan this year without informing the House of Representat

For decades, weapon exports to Israel from the Netherlands were not as large as in the past two years. For years, the cabinet was reluctant to grant l

More than 175 nations share their financial intelligence in the fight against dirty money and terrorist financing. Yet dozens of governments have been

IQOS, the electronic device from tobacco giant Philip Morris is said to be a “more conscious alternative” to the traditional cigarette. Health scienti

The flavoring ban on vapes should reduce the popularity of vapes among young people and protect them from health damage. The Investigative Desk spoke

A large group of Dutch households  – at least 1.3 million  – can cope reasonably well financially, until they face drastic problems like redundancy, d

Meat processor Vion is set to shrink by a historic 40 percent. Heavy losses have already left Vion’s owners, farmers in the south, over 120 million eu

Dear reader, We proudly present our new training in ‘legal journalism’. This is part of a new research programme which focuses on legal issues and spe

Five of the 10 largest producers of ultra-processed food on the European market are investing in products for diseases caused by unhealthy eating. Mos

Tobacco giants have invested billions of dollars into remedies for smoking-related diseases, including by funding scientific research into medicine an

Give homeless people a home first, then the necessary care. That is how we will end homelessness in the Netherlands by 2030, claims the National Actio

Europe says it will produce some 1.5 million shells by the end of the year and send many to Ukraine, where they’re set to play a “game changing” role

With the proposed construction of at least two new nuclear power plants, nuclear power is no longer taboo. Two retired senior executives with a well-s

Read the full newsletter here. Dear reader, In this newsletter you will find some of our publications from the first six months of this year. In ‘The

The four largest tobacco companies have already invested more than $21 billion in this century altogether, in at least 33 companies making products fo

Tobacco companies are investing billions in pharmaceutical and medical products. These ties complicate the ongoing efforts of researchers, scientific

Two brothers force a tenant to move seven times in a timespan of seven years. They shut him out when he refuses to move once again. Will the tenant se

The Dutch province Noord-Holland is facing a big task: they need to host 16.290 refugees because of the so-called ‘Spreidingswet’. A law which ensures

In springtime of 2022, blades of the Oude Maas windmills in municipality Hoeksche Waard were at a standstill for months. The mills were as good as fin

US chemicals multinational Chemours in Dordrecht (the Netherlands) makes hundreds of millions in profits and is polluting the environment with toxic s

While the world is considering phasing out fossil fuels, Guyana (South-America) is busy with oil drilling. The oil company ExxonMobil extracts reserve

Read the full newsletter here. Dear reader, Here are three stories we produced in the final weeks of 2023. In 2023 The Investigative Desk published st

While the Netherlands is carrying out a huge operation for nature restoration and nitrogen reduction, in some places livestock is actually growing. Th

The tobacco industry is earning double from patients who have become ill from smoking through billions in medical investments. Outrage among doctors i

In the run-up to the national elections, Geert Wilders, leader of the political party PVV,  took the “sharp edges” off his asylum views. He also lower

Read the full newsletter here. Dear reader, We’ve been extremely busy developing projects and writing subsidy-applications, so we upload this newslett

The agrochemical industry is using Wageningen University in agriculture to set its own rules for the approval of pesticides and genetic technology. Th

The Kremlin has been trying to develop ties with the Dutch political party PVV since 2013. And with success. The party figures prominently in Russian

In a historic ruling, the court ruled that Chemours is liable for pollution damage in Dordrecht. This seems to open the way to millions of claims, cri

Massive amounts of “ultra short” pfas are everywhere: in the environment, in drinking water and even in beer. These potentially dangerous substances h

The war in Ukraine has unveiled a new threat to Europe’s security: Russia’s deployment of hypersonic missiles. With their unparalleled speed and maneu

Read the full newsletter here.   Dear readers, In this special edition we present you two major stories we just published. An international team,

The past few years, the four biggest tobacco companies (Philip Morris International/Altria, British American Tobacco, Japan Tobacco International and

Since the February 2022 invasion, Ukraine’s five main military partners alone (US, Germany, UK, Poland, and the Netherlands) pledged more than 60 bill

Read the full newsletter here.  Dear reader, This time, we bring you two stories and a book. Our editor Tim Luimes investigated the lobbying activitie

Europe wants to ban all pfas at once. The chemical industry is lobbying for the exemption of fluoropolymers. These substances, a type of plastics, are

Shell knows the ways to the highest circles as well as the shortcuts through the political swamps. The oil and gas giant operates in 70 countries. Mos

Insurers themselves determine whether someone has committed fraud, impose sanctions immediately and hardly ever report this. This leaves police, prose

Young Chinese vape manufacturers, TikTok influencers advertising for fifty euros and underage ‘Snapchat dealers’: the promotion and sale of e-cigarett

Former Dutch minister of Infrastructure Cora van Nieuwenhuizen ignored the lobbying ban for contacts with former ministers. This was discovered by doc

Over a year ago, Tim Luimes, member of The Investigative Desk, came up with the idea to start a cross-border project about “forever chemicals” PFAS an

Read the full newsletter here.  Hi there, We’re a little late this year with our Q4 2022 newsletter, so we decided to include it in our January 2023 o

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Ukraine desperately needed weapons to defend itself. European private arms dealers saw an opportunity an

JDE Peet’s, parent company of the Dutch Douwe Egberts firm, wants 100 percent of its coffee to be sustainably grown by 2025. But it doesn’t know exact

There were “unacceptable environmental and social risks,” export credit insurer Atradius ruled. Nevertheless, Dutch shipbuilder IHC struck a deal with

Rare metals for car batteries, turbines and electronics will soon come from four kilometers deep in the Pacific Ocean. In a year from now, companies w

A big investigation by The Investigative Desk in collaboration with Follow the Money and Platform Authentic Journalism uncovered new information about

Port terminals in European cities such as Gdynia, Rotterdam and Antwerpen-Zeebrugge are crucial logistic hubs for the arrival of US Armed Forces and e

Read the full newsletter here.  Dear reader, In this newsletter we present you two of our recent publications and offer you a preview on some of our p

From tobacco paradise Indonesia to tax paradise Switzerland: tobacco company Philip Morris makes hundreds of millions euros in profit by advantages it

Consumers and small entrepreneurs who have a complaint against their bank or insurer, can submit it to the Dutch Institute for Financial Disputes “Kla

Read the full newsletter here.  Dear reader, In this newsletter, we present you eight of the investigations we published in Q2 of this year. They are

NATO cannot strengthen its eastern flank fast enough. The European military transport rail and road network still faces enormous bottlenecks. “The fur

Enormous quantities of a carcinogenic toxin were dumped by the 3M chemical plant near Antwerp and ended up in the Netherlands via the Scheldt. “We did

Covid vaccine equity remains out of reach, as wealthy nations drag their feet on donations, and vaccine stocks pass their use-by dates. Though Brussel

Read the full newsletter here.  Dear reader, We’ve been been extremely busy in Q1 and have published quite a few stories. There are more to come. So w

The Dutch government is lobbying for business opportunities in the Arctic region, but at the same time is trying to work with scientists to protect th

Gazprom suddenly announced it would ‘cease participation’ in several European subsidiaries. The announcement surprised friend and foe alike. It was th

Dutch companies dredge, drill, sail and haul in the Arctic. The enormous energy projects that Russian state-owned companies are rolling out along the

The control room of Turk Stream, the southern brother of the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, is located above a Coolblue shop on the Amsterd

The patent on the cancer drug Revlimid (lenalidomide) recently expired. Whereas a few weeks ago a pack still cost over 4,500 euros, after generic comp

Giving farmers a reasonable income and ensuring that their farms are environmentally friendly are key objectives of the Common Agricultural Policy, wh

We did not know that public health was at risk. So say the ministers responsible for the 2017 decision to keep quiet about the PFOS contamination. In

Phosphate ceiling or not, Vreba Melkvee, the largest dairy farm in the Netherlands, continued to grow. During an environmental audit early last year,

Dutch local authorities want to terminate their supply contract with Gazprom. Last year, The Investigative Desk and Follow The Money revealed that ove

A quarter of Dutch pension funds, including major players such as Shell, Heineken and Retail, do not rule out investing in the tobacco industry. In do

Big Tobacco is stringing together sustainability and corporate responsibility awards, according to research by The Investigative Desk. This provides t

The Indonesian government is suspected of giving privileges to electronic cigarettes issued by HM Sampoerna. Receiving excise cuts, the IQOS and HEET

The UN conference on stricter tobacco policy has fizzled out. ‘Milestone’: a minuscule fund to help poor countries getting rid of tobacco. Internation

Read the full newsletter here. Dear reader, I’m glad to report that in the past year, the number of our followers has steadily grown. We have therefor

An investigation by “Le Monde” and “The Investigative Desk” (Netherlands) reveals the alliance between the tobacco lobby and the networks of American

Using a set of legal tricks, the pharmaceutical industry was able to turn an animal gallic acid into a medicine that costs tons of money per year. Res

With a sophisticated lobby, oil company Royal Dutch Shell influenced the political position of the Netherlands on Nord Stream 2, The Investigative Des

Footwear company Crocs bypasses European and US efforts to end a widely used form of tax avoidance in the Netherlands. Due to interventions by both Br

The Dutch and Russian governments regularly discuss energy projects. The Working Party on Energy, which had been suspended in 2014 after the shooting

Scientists and activists were euphoric when the EU banned the extremely harmful neonic pesticides in 2018. During the next three years, sixteen EU cou

Read the full newsletter here. During the first half of 2021 we realised a record number of 17 publications, many of which drew widespread attention.

Dozens of large arms manufacturers use the county as a conduit for financing their sales deals.  The Netherlands plays an important role as a financia

The COVID-19 crisis gave a huge boost to remote working. Microsoft is profiting handsomely from this development. The use of the company’s software pr

The Brazilian tax authorities are demanding more than 2 billion euros from Unilever in connection with a restructuring of the food group in 2001. The

Two prominent oligarchs have become victims of Russia’s termination of the tax treaty with the Netherlands, according to research by The Investigative

Scientific papers suggesting that smokers are less likely to fall ill with covid-19 are being discredited as links to the tobacco industry are reveale

FrieslandCampina is the largest private funder of dairy science at Wageningen University & Research, the world’s top agricultural university, base

The Dutch CoronaMelder app and its equivalents in other countries are used in around one in twenty-five COVID-19 cases. This has been shown by researc

This data below is part of a cross-border investigation into corona-tech, called ‘Spooky Mayfly’. Journalists Dorien Vanmeldert, Tim Verheyden, and Ba

test

The Foundation for a Smoke-Free World claims to strive for a ‘smoke-free world’. In reality, founder and financier Philip Morris uses the foundation t

Pharmaceutical firm Novartis charges €2 million for a single intravenous infusion — but the National Health Care Institute in the Netherlands declared

Local offices of the Red Cross accepted more than 3 million dollar in donations from tobacco producer Philip Morris. This goes against the instruction

The Investigative Desk has discovered that until 2015 a remarkable amount of money from cigarette manufacturers flowed to Switzerland via the Netherla

When flight MH17 was downed by a Russian missile in 2014, the Netherlands froze diplomatic and trade relations with Russia. At least, to the outside w

Gazprom is much more influential in the Netherlands than is commonly thought. The company developed into an indispensable pillar of the Dutch energy s

Leaked documents show that the European Commission put pressure on the European Medicines Agency to approve the first Covid-19 vaccines simultaneously

The Brazilian government is demanding 350 million euros from tobacco giant British American Tobacco for tax avoidance, research by The Investigative D

Read the full newsletter here. In 2020 – our second year – we have been very productive. We embarked on some thirty investigations. Half of these resu

Wageningen University & Research (WUR) takes pride in its excellent relations with the food and agriculture industry. It is particularly close wit

A cross-border investigation uncovered how COVID-19 is used a marketing opportunity for the tobacco industry. For decades the tobacco industry casted

The drug’s manufacturer was aware of the negative results of the Solidarity trial before the European Commission struck a procurement deal with it, fi

Tobacco manufacturer Philip Morris conducts a sophisticated lobby in the Netherlands, using a meticulous international step-by-step plan. Yet it still

Four tobacco companies channel about 40 per cent of their annual profits through the Netherlands to avoid taxes. Despite international measures, this

New research from the Investigative Desk with support from the University of Bath shows, for the first time on this scale, which tax avoidance methods

A Dutch advocacy group claims that women receive worse care than men, because pharmaceutical companies do not sufficiently test their medicines on wom

According to the Dutch tax authorities (Belastingdienst), British American Tobacco channelled 4 billion euros in worldwide profits through the Netherl

British American Tobacco (BAT) is fighting  a record  1.2 billion euro claim for tax avoidance. Thursday 30 October a court in the city of Haarlem wil

Research by The Investigative Desk has shown that the tobacco industry, by using its contacts in the biggest party in the Dutch government coalition,

Most of the demand for (refresher) training courses for doctors in the Netherlands is fulfilled by industry- sponsored programmes. Even after decades

Two decades of EU market protection of ‘orphan’ (rare disease) medicines have greatly benefitted the industry. According to research by The Investigat

New innovative medicines should be made available to European citizens more quickly. That is why the European Medicines Agency updates the process for

Violations of the advertisement ban by tobacco manufacturers are seldom noticed by inspection authorities. That is the conclusion of The Investigative

Since the summer of 2019, the media have reported about British American Tobacco’s marketing campaign for its Glo tobacco heating product, involving p

Even after the expiration of Humira’s patent protection, pharmaceutical company AbbVie almost completely fended off biosimilar competition for this bl

The Dutch government and energy firms finance research on renewable energy through the New Energy Coalition (NEC). The NEC’s turnover is expected to r

Fifty-nine percent of seventeen-year-olds succeed in buying cigarettes, according to investigations by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safet

The NVWA (Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority) will impose 19 fines to tobacco manufacturers who gave discounts and paid bonuses to

When British American Tobacco (BAT) closed its factory doors in the small town of Zevenaar in 2007, it donated 400,000 euros to set up ‘Stichting Cult

The tax authorities in the Netherlands demand 902 million pounds sterling from London-based tobacco manufacturer British American Tobacco, for alleged

Based on the Dutch Public Access to Government Information Act (Wet openbaarheid van bestuur, WOB), The Investigative Desk unearthed 1362 pages of doc

Even after the expiration of Humira’s patent protection, AbbVie, the pharmaceutical company, almost completely fended off biosimilar competition for t

Just imagine. You are not yet 18 years old, but you are a smoker. How big is the chance you can buy a pack of cigarettes over the counter? In 2018, Pa

Steve Jobs’ private plane, parked at Rotterdam Airport. It is September 2008 when local reporters receive tips about the arrival of Apple’s CEO in the