Part 1: Brussels – how EU funds disappear behind the walls of ‘Non-Profits’

Meet Jan van Graabgold (a fictionalized name used for editorial and illustrative purposes only) — a composite figure inspired by publicly documented patterns observed in multiple Brussels-based AISBLs receiving EU funding.

In one such case, an executive director invoiced €21,352 per month through his private company in 2022 — absorbing nearly 45% of the organisation’s total human resources budget. Meanwhile, staff earned as little as €2,111 gross. According to public records and statute modifications, the role of Executive Director was no longer assigned to a person directly. Instead, it was assigned to a private company — the personal business of that same person who had been holding the role for years..

It’s a legal manoeuvre with massive implications — not just for transparency, but for every EU taxpayer funding it.