Another major scandal is unfolding, with European Parliament (EP) President Roberta Metsola and European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen at the centre of the accusations. On Tuesday the Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano reported that ahead of the 2024 European parliamentary elections, Brussels distributed approximately 132 million euros to pro-EU media outlets to promote narratives and candidates that refrained from criticizing the bloc’s direction.

According to Il Fatto Quotidiano, the funds were allocated through Havas Media France, a private advertising company, without transparency or a competitive bidding process. The lack of disclosure regarding which media outlets received these funds and under what conditions has fuelled speculation that the initiative was a deliberate effort to manipulate media narratives in favour of EU leadership.

Havas Media France is a subsidiary of Havas Media Group, one of the world’s leading media agencies, which is part of the Havas Group—a global communications and advertising conglomerate headquartered in France. Havas Media specializes in media planning, buying, and consulting services, assisting brands in optimizing their advertising strategies across various channels. Given its extensive reach, Havas Group is connected with most of the biggest mainstream media platforms, including CNN, BBC, Reuters, Euronews, The New York Times, and others.

According to the Italian newspaper, von der Leyen and Metsola oversaw the distribution of the funds without disclosing the beneficiaries or the criteria for allocation. The lack of transparency is alarming, as there is no public record detailing which media organizations received funding. If, as reports suggest, media outlets were financially incentivized to produce pro-EU coverage, this would constitute a serious breach of journalistic ethics.

‘Von der Leyen and Metsola oversaw the distribution of the funds without disclosing the beneficiaries or the criteria for allocation’

In Italy, for example, major news outlets such as La Repubblica allegedly received direct payments in exchange for publishing content favorable to EU institutions—without informing their readers. If confirmed, this would amount to covert propaganda funded by European taxpayers.

The scandal comes at a time when public trust in institutions and media is significantly declining. After US president Donald Trump halted all US foreign assistance, including funds allocated by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department for Government Efficiency (DOGE), co-chaired by Elon Musk, moved to expose the schemes of foreign interference and political meddling carried out by USAID using US taxpayer money. Following DOGE’s release of a trove of revealing data, it has become clear that much of the Western mainstream media, along with many so-called ‘independent’ NGOs, operate as part of a coordinated network to promote a globalist agenda and discredit—or ultimately remove—governments that refuse to comply.

It now appears that Il Fatto Quotidiano has uncovered a similar network operating within the European Union, with politicians at the highest levels involved. If these allegations are confirmed, it would represent a massive case of election interference at a time when marginalized and discredited right-wing parties are gaining strength and popularity across the EU.

Before the election on 6–9 June 2024, it was widely anticipated that the EU would shift to the right—something that ultimately did not materialize at the rate most polls suggested. As a result, mainstream political groups in the EP—the European People’s Party (EPP), Renew, and the Socialists and Democrats (S&D)—were able to secure a majority, albeit with a smaller margin than before. A large-scale media influence campaign could have played a crucial role in shaping voter behaviour, bombarding undecided voters with pro-EU narratives and ensuring the status quo remained intact.

Notably, Western mainstream media has remained silent on the scandal—an omission that is particularly suspicious given its frequent emphasis on media independence and the fight against disinformation.

Hungarian Conservative has sent inquiries to both Roberta Metsola’s and Ursula von der Leyen’s offices and will update this article upon receiving a response.

UPDATE:

Response from the Press Service of the European Parliament:

Responding to our press inquiry, the press service of the European Parliament refuted claims by Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano, stating that the piece contained incomplete and misleading information. A Right of Reply had been published in response.

The press service emphasized the European Parliament’s commitment to independent media, supporting projects across the 27 EU member states while fully preserving editorial freedom. It detailed that the European Parliament had signed Framework Contract No: COMM/DG/FWC/2023/30, covering media strategy, planning, and advertising from September 2023 to September 2027. This contract had been awarded following an open tender process, which was published on 31 October 2022 and closed on 11 January 2023 (Reference number: COMM/AWD/2022/54). The total maximum value of this framework contract was €132,820,000 over four years, but this amount represented the upper limit for multiple EU institutions, not just the European Parliament. Within this framework, the Parliament itself had a maximum spending ceiling of €50,000,000 over the four-year period. However, a framework contract did not commit the Parliament to any specific purchase or expenditure upfront, as it merely established the terms and conditions for potential future acquisitions.

Additionally, the European Parliament (through its Directorate General for Communication) had allocated a total maximum of €9,100,000 in 2023 for media grants aimed at informing citizens in a reliable and non-biased manner about the activities of the European Parliament and its Members. These grants were designed to support collaborations with various media outlets to increase awareness and understanding of the European Parliament’s work, particularly in the lead-up to the 2024 European elections. Grant recipients retained full editorial independence, including over the themes, titles, and framing of their content, while ensuring adherence to the EU’s core values as stated in Article 2 of the Treaty on the European Union. The purpose of these grants was to promote pluralistic and reliable information on the EU, emphasize the European Parliament’s democratic role, and foster broad public debate ahead of the elections.

The press service clarified that both the framework contract and media grants followed standard procedures and were managed exclusively by the European Parliament’s administration, not by MEPs. Furthermore, it stressed that the European Parliament's press service remained fully accessible, providing all journalists with accurate information on its communication activities.

For full transparency, the details of the awarded framework contract had been made publicly available at https://ted.europa.eu/en/notice/-/detail/655472-2023, and the list of awarded grants was accessible at https://www.europarl.europa.eu/contracts-and-grants/en/grants/ex-post-publication.

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