Report uncovers EU's €80 million annual 'Media Machine'

REPORT UNCOVERS EU'S €80 MILLION ANNUAL 'MEDIA MACHINE,' RAISING ALARM OVER PROPAGANDA AND THREATS TO PRESS INDEPENDENCE

Brussels, 3rd June 2025 - An explosive new report from MCC Brussels reveals a vast, previously under-scrutinised system through which the European Union annually disburses nearly €80 million to media projects across Europe and beyond. The report, published by MCC Brussels and authored by investigative journalist Thomas Fazi, argues that this extensive funding, often presented as support for media freedom, in fact, frequently serves to promote explicitly pro-EU narratives and marginalise critical voices, raising serious concerns about editorial independence and democratic integrity.

The report contends that the EU's financial leverage creates a "semi-structural relationship" with major media outlets, particularly public broadcasters and news agencies, blurring the lines between independent journalism and institutional communication. This systemic conflict of interest is argued to compromise the media's ability to hold power to account.

Read the full report here.

Key Findings and Examples from the Report:

Massive, Under-Scrutinised Funding:The European Commission and European Parliament collectively disburse close to €80 million annually to media projects. This is considered a conservative estimate, with the total over the past decade likely exceeding €1 billion. This figure doesn't include indirect funding like advertising contracts, such as the €132.82 million awarded to Havas Media Group ahead of the 2024 elections.

Promoting Pro-EU Narratives:Funding programmes are often framed using buzzwords like 'fighting disinformation' or 'promoting European integration', but the report presents evidence that they have clear strategic objectives to shape public debate and promote the EU agenda.

Covert Propaganda Campaigns:The Information Measures for the EU Cohesion Policy (IMREG) programme has channelled around €40 million since 2017 to media outlets and news agencies to produce content highlighting the "benefits" of EU policy. The report highlights examples where this funding is not clearly disclosed, effectively amounting to "stealth marketing" or "covert propaganda".

Examples include projects with Italian newspapers Il Sole 24 Ore (€290,000 awarded, with articles on EU funds' positive impact lacking clear disclosure on the website) and La Repubblica (€260,000 awarded, with only a tiny EU logo on the project banner).

Other projects explicitly aim to "increase awareness of the benefits" or "contribute to a better understanding" and strengthen citizens' "sense of belonging to the EU".

News Agencies as Narrative Gatekeepers:The EU strategically partners with major news agencies like ANSA (Italy), EFE (Spain), and Lusa (Portugal) through programmes like IMREG, ensuring pro-EU messaging cascades across hundreds of outlets that rely on agency content. The €1.7 million European Newsroom project, bringing together 24 news agencies in Brussels, is described as an effort to standardise and align messaging on EU matters.

"Fact-Checking" and Controlling Discourse:Initiatives like the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO), funded with at least €27 million, involve news agencies and media in networks to "fight against disinformation". The report warns that when entities involved in promotional funding also participate in defining disinformation, it risks becoming a tool to "police the boundaries of acceptable discourse" and label dissent as disinformation.

Investigative Journalism Focused Outward Never Inward:The report scrutinises EU-funded investigative journalism projects, noting a pattern where much of the focus is directed towards non-EU countries like Russia or Kazakhstan, with "scant scrutiny of the EU itself" despite documented scandals within the Union.

European Parliament's Own Propaganda:The European Parliament, through its Directorate-General for Communication, has allocated nearly €30 million since 2020 to media for campaigns, including explicitly self-promotional content ahead of elections. The aim is to "increase the reach towards targeted audiences more effectively with messages related to the work of the European Parliament," adding "legitimacy to EP campaigns". This is seen as an attempt to "manufacture democratic legitimacy" due to a lack of organic support.

The report concludes that the evidence points to the EU systematically investing in shaping a "friendly" media environment that reinforces its legitimacy and political goals, rather than simply supporting a free press. It calls for an urgent "public reckoning" and for institutional links between political power and journalism to be "scrutinised – and, ultimately, severed".

"This is not just about media support; it's about engineering consent and weakening the media's ability to hold power to account," states the report. "Uncover the truth behind Brussels's media machine and the threat to democratic integrity."

About the Report: "Brussels's media machine: EU media funding and the shaping of public discourse" was authored by Thomas Fazi, an independent researcher, writer, and journalist. It was published by MCC Brussels, an initiative of Mathias Corvinus Collegium committed to policy deliberation and exploring issues related to European cultures and values.