fact checking

Mostly false: “2018 youth unemployment in Sweden is the lowest in 17 years”

Peter Rangwe, who is a free time politician, representing the political party Socialdemokraterna (the Swedish social democratic party) claims that the figures on youth unemployment 2018 in Sweden is the lowest in 17 years. Socialdemokraterna is the now reigning party. He also claims that Sweden received economical support by the EU in 2014, to cope…

fact checking

Mostly false: “The Dutch have become considerably richer because of the euro, Belgians have become poorer”

  That is what the Belgian daily newspaper ‘Het Laatste Nieuws’ reported on February 25th . The article is based on a study from the German think tank CEP (Centre for European Policy) in which they researched whether the inhabitants of 8 Euro countries (the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain) have…

fact checking

Mostly false: “While countries all over the world are switching to green energy, Belgium stays behind. Already, our energy bill is the third most expensive of Europe”

The political party Groen (the Flemish green party) claims that Belgium is way behind when it comes to green energy. They also say our energy bill is ranked the third most expensive in Europe. Groen mentions this claim on both Facebook and in an article on their website. The party repeats the claim multiple times,…

fact checking

Mostly false: “Sign EU-petition to stop punishment of aid to migrants”

Reinier van Lanschot, party leader of the new, pan-European party Volt – and probable new member of the European Parliament – claims on Twitter that migrant aid is punished in several European member states. Subsequently, he asks his followers to sign a European citizen initiative to make an end to this. However, punishment of migrant…

fact checking

Mostly false: “Travelling circus of the European Parliament from Brussels to Strasbourg costs 200 million euros annually”

On their website, the Belgian party N-VA (member of the European Conservatives and Reformists) has stated that the monthly move of the European Parliament (EP) between Brussels and Strasbourg costs the European taxpayers 200 million euros per year. A lot of money which according to N-VA is anything but an example of good governance. The…

fact checking

Mostly false: “Catalan public media lacks objectivity and pluralism”

In recent years, public media in Spain have been questioned because they are commonly accused of serving particular political tendencies. In the case of the Catalan public broadcasting, the claim arrived to the Committee on Petitions of the European Parliament in January 2019. Two complainants accused the Catalan public television (TV3) and radio station (Catalunya…