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Be it the sweeping changes to border policies or new analysis on the mounting support for far-right parties in rural Europe, the past month highlighted yet again how the social and political landscape of Europe is in constant flux. These were just two of the topics we followed closely in recent weeks and this month’s newsletter includes insights into these and other issues from across the continent, as well as updates from the Investigate Europe team.

🔺 Political analysts and opinion pollsters warn of looming victories for the far-right in the upcoming June elections. In the latest instalment of our series of articles ahead of the elections, EU under pressure, we take a closer look at the popularity of these parties among voters in rural Europe. We travelled to communities in Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands and Germany to understand what lies behind the growing support for the far-right. 

🔺 The plan to build a huge lithium mine in central France has triggered a wave of public debate and outcry in recent months. The controversial development featured predominantly in our Mine Games investigation, which explored Europe’s new hunt for critical raw materials. Listen here to Investigate Europe’s Leïla Miñano discuss the issues and what the lithium project might mean for local communities with France’s RCF radio station.

🔺 CIJI, the Collaborative and Investigative Journalism Initiative, in which Investigate Europe is serving as a regional hub, has just announced the 20 new fellows for the Collaborative Journalism Fellowship. The fellowship aims to equip journalists with the skills to conduct cross-border investigations through a five-month programme consisting of online training, workshops, mentoring and networking opportunities.