I’m Anca Păduraru. And I refuse to look away.
I am a former Brussels NGO strategist, a communication specialist.
A whistleblower. A journalist.
I was fired after asking one question too many about how EU funds are spent. I raised flags about financial irregularities, disguised employment and EU-funded project hours reporting in one EU-funded Brussels NGO. I saw authorities deflect, deny, and disappear.
That case became the pilot investigation. But this isn’t just my story.
That was the trigger. What followed was documentation: how millions flow through EU-funded entities with no meaningful transparency and no real oversight. I tracked replies, and non-replies, from Belgian SPF Finance, SPF Emploi and others. From OLAF and EPPO.
I started to study EU-funded Belgian AISBLs. I reviewed their public annual reports, fiscal declarations (where available), and HR expenses. The conclusion is clear:
This isn’t one case. It’s a pattern.
So I built what didn’t exist: www.brussels-leaks.eu
I am fiercely pro-European, but I refuse to be pro-complacency. Democracy dies in darkness – and in Brussels, the lights have been deliberately dimmed for far too long.
I believe Europe’s future will be decided not only in courtrooms and parliaments, but in newsrooms. The media – alongside the real civil society – is the single most powerful force in rooting out systemic corruption and restoring public trust. Because extremism grows when people are tired of empty promises and untouchable elites.
I believe Europe needs facts, plainly spoken and plainly shown. It needs journalists who do their research and publish accordingly. Journalists who ask why OLAF investigates Belgium less than Congo or Uganda. Who demand EPPO explain its 4.212 case dismissals in 2024 alone. And we need politicians, public servants and whatever bosses who finally understand: if you are paid by public money, you owe the public the truth, without excuses or delay. Transparency is mandatory.
This is the documented road that led to EU Money Monitor:
I built EU Money Monitor alone, at my kitchen table in Brussels, piecing together public records, audits, annual reports, unanswered questions. Connecting dots that were left deliberately disconnected.
What I have built so far is just the beginning.
I want EU Money Monitor to become the place where citizens, journalists, and professionals work together to make Europe honest, transparent, and fair. A new public sphere where we arm citizens with tools to audit, vote, and demand answers. A platform and online community that will not compromise and will not stop until the truth is public and the system is forced to change.
How can we make this platform better? What do you want to see? What do you think needs changed?
If you believe Europe deserves better, join me. If you believe in truth, transparency, and real reform, support EU Money Monitor. I know I’m not alone.
Share your ideas. Send a suggestion. Become a founding member or an ambassador.
Help me build the Europe we were promised.
Let’s do this together.
Anca Păduraru
Founder, EU Money Monitor
VISION: what EU Money Monitor can become
EU Money Monitor is the beginning of a new era of citizen-driven accountability in Europe. I see this project growing into a living, collaborative system, a space where EU citizens, journalists, whistleblowers, and professionals come together to expose what’s hidden, demand answers, and push for change:
Secure
tip submission
Where truth begins. A safe tool for citizens, whistleblowers, and insiders to share evidence of fraud, misuse, or silence — anonymously if needed. Every investigation starts with someone speaking up.
Transparent
investigations
No more secrets. Verified tips turn into public investigations, backed by real documents, emails, and data. All linked in a searchable Evidence Hub, so anyone can see the facts for themselves.
Live accountability
tracker
Real-time pressure. A live dashboard that shows who replies, who stays silent, and what changes. Citizens can vote on priorities and see which demands are making an impact.
Citizen watchdog
network
A Europe-wide team for truth. Journalists, citizens, lawyers, and analysts work together in a secure space to investigate, share findings, and support each other. Ambassadors bring this mission to life across countries and languages.
We want EU Money Monitor to become a permanent public tool — a pressure system on those who think they’re untouchable, a platform for truth, and a living watchdog built on citizen power.
Help shape it. Improve it. Sustain it.
If you believe in this vision, join us.
Share your ideas, become a founding member, support our work, or help us grow.
EU Money Monitor: built by EU citizens, for EU citizens
Power fearless independent journalism
Keep institutions honest: your support means more pressure on those who think they’re untouchable, more investigations, more evidence.