Reporting Finds EU Green Funds Flowing to Energy Firms
A Czech journalist's award-winning investigation documents how a third of Czech green-transition funds reach three energy corporations.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Environmental
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Czech journalist Daniel Kotecký received a Covering Climate Now award in the Emerging Journalists of the Year category on 17 September 2026. His investigative reporting focused on EPH, a fossil fuel corporation controlled by Czech oligarch Daniel Křetínský, and documented that a third of EU funds earmarked for greening the Czech economy go to three energy corporations. This is a retrospective recognition of completed reporting, not a new development.
Why it matters
The award highlights investigative climate journalism that scrutinizes how public green-transition money is allocated and how fossil fuel firms account for their climate impact. It reflects a broader pattern of cross-border reporting on lobbying and energy-sector influence in European climate policy.
The competition drew over 1,200 submissions, and 49 honorees were selected by a nine-member jury of journalists and academics. The awards do not report measured outcomes of the reporting, so the impact of the investigations on policy is not quantified in the source.
The players
Daniel Kotecký
Czech investigative journalist recognized for climate reporting on EPH and EU green-transition funds.
Deník Referendum
Czech news outlet whose Forever Lobbying Project investigation earned a European IJ4EU Impact Award.
Covering Climate Now
International journalism collaboration that runs annual awards recognizing climate reporting worldwide.
The details
Kotecký's investigation examined EPH, a fossil fuel corporation whose climate accounting he exposed as part of his reporting. His work documented that a third of EU funds intended to green the Czech economy flow to three energy corporations, showing how public climate-transition money reaches the sector. The judging process used a nine-member panel to evaluate entries across the competition's 17 categories.
Timeline
17 September 2026: Kotecký receives the Covering Climate Now Emerging Journalists of the Year award.
17 September 2026: Deník Referendum receives the IJ4EU Impact Award for the Forever Lobbying Project on the same day.
The Tech Race
The Forever Lobbying Project was produced by 46 journalists from 29 media outlets in 16 European countries, with 18 academic experts, showing cross-border data-driven investigation as a competitive model. Kotecký's EPH reporting sits within this wider European effort to audit climate claims made by energy firms.
The awards recognize reporting on how public climate funds are spent, which can inform readers about where green-transition money actually goes. The source does not indicate any change in availability or practice for consumers or citizens.
The takeaway
Investigative reporting that tracks how EU climate funds reach fossil fuel firms is increasingly recognized as a check on green-transition spending. Readers can watch for follow-up reporting from the Forever Lobbying Project and any official responses to the findings on EU fund allocation.
Further reading
For more on the forces shaping climate policy, explore our Environmental coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Deník Referendum.
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