Our investigations

JUSTICE | This investigation, led by Civio in collaboration with nine European newsrooms, aims to map patterns and levels of transparency surrounding deaths in police custody across the EU from 2010 to 2022.

This collaborative investigation was coordinated by Ter Garcia, Adrián Maqueda and Carmen Cicio

POLITICS, ECONOMY | Openpolis and three other EDJNet partners have analysed the progress made by 11 southern and eastern European countries in allocating NRRP funds, specifically in terms of the green transition.

This collaborative investigation was coordinated by Martina Zaghi (Openpolis).

POLITICS | The European Parliament do not represent all citizens of the EU on an equal footing. Out of the 705 MEPs from 27 member states, who is missing out?

This collaborative investigation was coordinated by Maximilian Henning (SWR).

MIGRATIONS, RIGHTS | Using the latest data from the Global Citizenship Observatory, Civio unravel the intricacies and inequalities – between and within EU countries – of access to European citizenship.

This collaborative investigation was coordinated by María Álvarez del Vayo (Civio).

ECONOMY | This investigation delves into inequalities in wealth distribution in Europe and sheds light on how much (or better, how little) taxes the richest pay.

This collaborative investigation was coordinated by Christian Chavagneux and Catherine André (Alternatives Economiques).

JUSTICE, RIGHTS | A collaborative investigation looking into the numbers and trends of gender-based violence across Europe, navigating through the staggering lack of recent and comparable data.

16 EDJNet members took part in this endeavour, which was coordinated by Janine Louloudi (MIIR). Data obtained by the various national authorities provides an unprecedented overview on the issue.

POLITICS | The non-voter time bomb is a data-driven journalism feature that profiles voter abstention across the European Union over the last 50 years and analyses it according to different demographic and socioeconomic indicators for each of the 27 member states.

This collaborative investigation was coordinated by Luciana Maruta (Divergente).

CULTURE | Who are the individuals giving their names to streets in some of the largest cities in Europe? What about the gender, origin, field of activity of such individuals? Building upon data made available by OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, our investigation looks at about 150,000 street names in 17 different countries.

The collaborative investigation was coordinated by Lorenzo Ferrari (OBC Transeuropa).

ENVIRONMENT | Due to climate change, large or even extreme wildfires are becoming an increasingly serious threat in many regions of Europe. How prepared are the different regions and countries in dealing with wildfires? What practices increase or reduce fire risk? How can communities and the environment recover from a large wildfire?

This investigation mostly takes place in the framework of the FIRE-RES project, a Horizon2020 research project.

ENVIRONMENT | Europe has a pervasive and widespread problem: air pollution. Which regions are the most affected? What are authorities doing to tackle the problem? Analysing satellite data from the Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service and monitoring the actions taken by the European institutions, we sought to answer these and other questions.

This collaborative investigation was coordinated by Rodrigo Menegat Schuinski (Deutsche Welle).

HEALTH | Over the past 20 years, drug shortages have surged in Europe. The phenomenon has recently grabbed headlines but it is by no means new and does not only depend on Covid-19, inflation, or the war in Ukraine. The underlying reasons are often much more structural.

This collaborative investigation was coordinated by Nikos Morfonios (MIIR).

CLIMATE | Since the European Union announced its Green Deal, Covid-19 happened, and then the Russian invasion of Ukraine sparked an energy crisis. So, how has the European Green Deal been progressing so far? How close is the European Union to reaching its targets?

This collaborative investigation was coordinated by Ajit Niranjan (Deutsche Welle).

ECONOMY | All across Europe, working habits and the labour market are undergoing huge changes in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the energy and climate crisis, and digital revolution. How are people’s aspirations and working conditions changing? How could the future of work look like?

This collaborative investigation was coordinated by Catherine André (Alternatives Economiques).

JUSTICE | Pre-trial detention is used more and more in Europe. But the decision to detain an individual on remand should not be taken lightly, as few events in a person’s lifetime are as traumatic as arrival in prison.

Our data and testimonies from all over Europe shed some light on this often forgotten phenomenon. The collaborative investigation was coordinated by Eva Belmonte (Civio).

ENVIRONMENT | The food and drink industry is one of the biggest plastics polluters in the world. We researched the plastics commitments made in the past 20 years by over 50 of Europe’s biggest food and drink companies to find out what they promised, and if they’re following through – many of them aren’t.

This collaborative investigation was coordinated by Kira Schacht (Deutsche Welle).

WORLD | Between 2016 and 2021, the EU’s Emergency Trust Fund for Africa invested some €5 billion to finance 250 projects meant to “address the root causes of migration”, fight against irregular migration, and promote the return of migrants to Africa. What did the EUTF for Africa finally achieve though?

Gianna Grün (Deutsche Welle) coordinated this collaborative investigation.

DIGITAL | What happens to the data that is constantly collected by our smartphones? This investigation seeks to shed light on the real use that European phone companies make of our data.

Federico Caruso and Gianluca De Feo (OBC Transeuropa) coordinated this collaborative investigation, which focuses on France, Germany, Italy, and Spain.

DIGITAL | The increasingly common tendency to massively collect biographical and biometric data, especially with regard to migrants, raises questions about respect for human rights and reinforces power imbalances even within the European Union.

This investigation has been coordinated and carried out by MIIR.

HEALTH | Babies born with assisted reproductive techniques (ART) constitute more than 5 percent of the total in some European countries. Hundreds of thousands of Europeans are affected – but not much is known about the legal and financial barriers hindering access to ART in different countries.

Our investigation looks into the legislation of 43 European countries; it was coordinated by Eva Belmonte (Civio).

DIGITAL | With the pandemic, many aspects of our lives moved online. As the number and variety of data available multiplied, cybercrimes skyrocketed. How is Europe fighting back?

This collaborative investigation was coordinated and carried out by El Orden Mundial and Openpolis.

HEALTH, JUSTICE | More than half a million people were incarcerated in Europe during the Covid-19 pandemic. Little data was made public about the impact of the pandemic in prisons: we traced it by collecting and comparing data on cases and vaccinations from 32 European countries.

This collaborative investigation was coordinated by Kira Schacht (Deutsche Welle).

DIGITAL | The European Commission aims to reach a speed of 1 Gbps across Europe by 2030. But what are the real internet speeds in European countries and cities? We used data from Ookla’s performance tests to create an interactive map.

This investigation was coordinated by Ornaldo Gjergji (OBC Transeuropa).

HEALTH | Depression and anxiety are the most commonly diagnosed mental health conditions in the European Union. Yet, national public healthcare systems do not always include treatment for these problems – and not all people who need treatment are able to receive it.

This investigation was carried out by Civio with support by several EDJNet members.

CLIMATE | Fifty years of data from Copernicus confirm that the continent is heating up at every latitude. The data provides estimates of climate warming for more than 100,000 European municipalities.

OBC Transeuropa produced this investigation collaborating with Sheldon.studio.

DIGITAL | Exclusive data reveals that Instagram prioritizes photos of scantily-clad men and women, shaping the behavior of content creators and the worldview of plenty of Europeans.

The investigation was coordinated by Nicolas Kayser-Bril (Algorithm Watch).

POLITICS | European parties and institutions spent millions on Facebook advertising for the 2019 European Parliament elections, proving how social media and money are becoming increasingly crucial in electoral strategies.

The investigation was coordinated by Markus Hametner (Addendum).

TRANSPORTS | As travel by train is becoming more and more popular in Europe, we look at some of the main barriers still discouraging people from taking the train, including the distance from active train stations, train prices, and travel times.

A collaborative investigation coordinated by Sascha Granberg at Journalism++.

ENVIRONMENT | The analysis of over 100 million meteorological data points which were gathered by ECMWF shows that every major city in Europe is warmer in the 21st century than it was in the 20th.

The collaborative investigation was coordinated by Nicolas Kayser-Bril and Leonard Wallentin at Journalism++.

ENVIRONMENT | We analyse the social, political and economic costs of air pollution from road transport, which causes thousands of deaths every year in Europe, with a focus on emissions from diesel cars.

The collaborative investigation was coordinated by Stefano Valentino at MobileReporter and Voxeurop.