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What’s the news? In late 2025, the European Commission once again postponed the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). The official reason was significant problems with the IT system underpinning the legislation. Documents seen by FTM show that the Commission had been aware of these IT issues for years – yet took no action to resolve them. Businesses and EU lawmakers are questioning whether this alone justified yet another delay to the legislation.

Our journalism is only possible thanks to the trust of our paying members. Not a member yet? Sign up now Welcome back to Bureau Brussels – your weekly deep dive into the power plays, backroom deals, and investigations shaping life for millions of people across the bloc. What’s in store this week? Israel’s EU research funding cut by half Why is the “simplified” supply chain law still so complex?

Our journalism is only possible thanks to the trust of our paying members. Not a member yet? Sign up now Dear readers, This week, our reporting took us from extremist fundraising efforts to the EU’s top court and the increasingly tense waters of the Baltic Sea. We revealed how far-right groups across Europe continue to use PayPal to sell merchandise despite the company’s anti-extremism policies.

The controversial US company Palantir supplies crucial software to intelligence services, armies and police forces in Europe. European governments are growing nervous about the US firm. Meanwhile, European investors have scaled up their investment in the company. Listen to this episode Our journalism is only possible thanks to the trust of our paying members. Not a member yet? Sign up now

What’s the news? Investigate Europe found that more than 40% of judges and advocates general at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) have declared financial interests in companies or sectors that could appear before them. In dozens of instances, judges have ruled on cases linked to those industries – involving pharma giants AstraZeneca and Merck and bank BNP Paribas.

What’s the news? Far-right groups that blend feminist messaging with anti-immigrant and anti-Islam views are using PayPal to process merchandise sales and donations, despite the company’s rules prohibiting transactions that promote hate or discrimination. An investigation by Fuller identified nine so-called femonationalist groups using PayPal in this way, including the French collective Némésis, which has sparked backlash in France and the UK for its Islamophobic activities. Why does it matter?

Russia has been using heavy machine guns to protect at least one of its tankers travelling through the Baltic Sea, photographs taken by Estonian border guards and shared with FTM show, raising concerns about potential military escalations. This is the first time that evidence of such weapons has become public. The images, taken last month, show two heavy machine guns positioned on the wheelhouse of the Marshal Vasilevskiy, an almost 300-metre-long natural gas tanker.

Shortly after the Iran war broke out in February, the United Nations issued a stark warning. “If the Middle East conflict continues through June, an additional 45 million people could be pushed into acute hunger by price rises,” Carl Skau, acting executive director of the UN World Food Programme (WFP), warned in mid-March.

What’s the news? Fish farming is the fastest growing food sector in the world. Much farmed fish is raised on feed containing fishmeal and fish oil, but supplies of both are coming under pressure as demand rises and catches fall. Viable alternatives remain limited. Why does it matter? More and more fish that could be eaten directly are being diverted into the production of fishmeal and fish oil.

The European Ombudswoman has opened a new inquiry into European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s text messages, a letter sent to the EU executive on Friday shows.