Alexander Fanta

The only reason I still keep this account is to prevent an impersonator from stealing it

@idilsaguner @alemannoEU @FTM_eu It's not a leaked document, but lawfully obtained via the EU's transparency law, Regulation 1049/2001

@alemannoEU @FantaAlexx @FTM_eu So-called “leaked” document: if it’s real, it looks less like an attempt to drag the EU into the process and more like a calculated leak to show how strongly the US wants a two-state solution.!

A document shows how Tony Blair and his institute lobbied behind closed doors for the EU to join Trump's "Board of Peace" and put €€€ behind US- and Israeli-led Gaza reconstruction efforts - investigation by @FantaAlexx @FTM_eu

White House has opened a second front - in Europe. The objective: disarm the EU's Digital Services Act, which forces major platforms to moderate content or face billions in fines. The method: threats/intimidation. In December 2025, five people, including the EU's former technology commissioner, were banned from entering the US for allegedly "censoring American free speech". The chair of the House Judiciary Committee publishes reports naming European Commission officials, and at least three European NGOs have received letters demanding they hand over internal documents. The secretary of state instructed diplomats to lobby European capitals for the repeal of the DSA. Germany's digital affairs minister, after meeting with an American diplomat, publicly declared that European regulation had "gone too far". American diplomats lobby against another country's law in another country's capital. Sovereign states take note and schedule another meeting. The EU built a law whose enforcement it made dependent on NGOs - and now stands by watching as someone systematically neutralises those very NGOs. American politicians send letters to European NGOs and the NGOs are scared - Brussels, in response, "stands behind them" and steps out for a coffee. The EU passed a law regulating companies worth trillions, then effectively outsourced evidence-gathering to organisations that live on grants, have no investigative powers, and can be intimidated by a letter from a congressman. This is an architectural problem. USA merely exposed it. A separate question remains: what happens when law enforcement depends on organisations that are, by definition, NON-governmental. archive.is/gSkgH

NEW: In the Pfizergate latest, the E.U. has provided The New York Times with a fuller description of what happened to text messages exchanged between President von der Leyen and the Pfizer CEO. Newsy stuff. (Gift link, and the doc is embedded) 1/ nytimes.com/2025/08/01/wor…

Really interesting discovery - an Austrian state-owned company sells high-tech equipment to an Iranian conglomerate with ties to the country's nuclear program.

At a time when Huawei’s reputation hit a new low in Brussels, one man kept the doors to politicians open – until he was arrested for alleged bribery. Now, insiders tell FTM that Huawei bosses were aware of Valerio Ottati’s potentially corrupt practices: ftm.eu/articles/huawe…

Sebastian Kurz ist nach seinem Abschied aus der Politik unter die Unternehmer gegangen. Was der Unternehmer Kurz genau macht, darüber sprechen @StefanMelichar​ und Investigativjournalist @FantaAlexx von der Plattform @FTM_eu. profil.at/podcasts/ex-ka…

@SigridMelchior @p_hansens @NikolajNielsen @LiseWitteman Easy to suspect, hard to prove

@FantaAlexx @p_hansens @NikolajNielsen @LiseWitteman Do you think it’s deliberate?

Question for EU journos who regularly send FOIs: Have you ever received requested dox from the EC within 3 w? It seems they routinely (deliberately?) extend to 6 w. Trying to see if this is a pattern or my bad luck. Ping @FantaAlexx @p_hansens @NikolajNielsen @LiseWitteman

@SigridMelchior @p_hansens @NikolajNielsen @LiseWitteman Btw, Sigrid, why are you still on this terrible site?! Come over to Bluesky!!

@SigridMelchior @p_hansens @NikolajNielsen @LiseWitteman I find there are occasions, admittedly rare, when they are on time. Usually single docs. Depends on what DG, tbh

In a first for an 🇪🇺EU body, the bloc's diplomatic service admits it has access to messages in a #Signal group between foreign ministers, writes @FantaAlexx. ftm.eu/articles/eu-si…

Efekt: wielkie opóźnianie państw. O tym: - kim jest Polak przewijający się w dokumentach śledczych - jak Huawei budowało wpływy wśród polityków UE - czym jest korupcja dla Chin mi i @j_sosnowska mówią w Techstoriach: @boguszmichal i @FantaAlexx. Polcam! open.spotify.com/episode/3mtVCQ…

@ConnorAllenEU sounds interesting. want to chat? alexander.fanta@ftm.nl

I've been banging this drum on the practices of certain corporations for years. A lot of this corruption is very obvious, and often targeted at younger MEPs who don't know any better. Staffers are also targets - I received many offers whilst in the EP. ftm.eu/articles/huawe…

Huawei is suspected of bribing some 15 MEPs to get their public support. For the past months, we've been looking into how Huawei's lobbying efforts might have crossed legal boundaries. Read it for free: ftm.eu/articles/how-h…

We did a detailed reconstruction of Huawei's lobbying campaign in Europe over the past years, and how it crossed ethical - and, possibly, legal - barriers in an attempt to keep its telecom equipment on the market. read it here (free): ftm.eu/articles/how-h…

SCOOP: Brussels is facing a new corruption scandal. Belgian police raided 21 homes today as part of a corruption probe into Huawei’s EU lobbying. Lobbyists for the tech giant are suspected of bribing MEPs in exchange for their public support. #HuaweiGate ftm.eu/articles/huawe…

“As his empire continues to grow, could Döpfner court yet more scandal by openly meddling at Politico, and risk his business for his politics?” Lot of interesting bits on Springer in this long read by @FantaAlexx ftm.eu/articles/mathi…

Some truly bizarre stuff going down at the Committee of Regions. From our latest newsletter: mailing.ftm.nl/index.php?acti…

@beton_blau Ich würde bei so etwas schon aus Prinzip um eine Richtigstellung bitten.

@FantaAlexx Hab ich mir wenig Erfolg erhofft, weil ichs erst gesehen hab, als schon viele übernommen hatten

Über mehrere Tage eine Gschicht recherchieren, veröffentlichen, Boulevard-Konkurrenz schreibt ohne Zitat ab, APA schreibt von den Abschreibern ab, alle Medien des Landes zitieren jetzt einen der Abschreiber. Österreich so geil

@beton_blau Naja, wenn Du tatsächlich als erstes dran warst, ist es nicht Geltungsdrang sondern einfach nur faktisch korrekt. Zumindest ein E-Mail zu schreiben, um das schriftlich festzuhalten, hätte ich schon gemacht. Innenpolitik et apa at oder aussenpolitik et apa at bieten sich an.

@FantaAlexx genau, und dann ruf ich noch Donnerstag 20 Uhr bei 15 anderen Redaktionen am Empfang an nur um meine Eitelkeit und Geltungsdrang durchzusetzen