Nathalie Bertrams

KIRUNA – Europe’s green ambitions are colliding with the Arctic’s oldest way of life. In Kiruna, Sweden, a massive rare earth mine promises a lot for the success of the green transition for the EU – but also cultural extinction for the Sámi. The fight over Per Geijer isn’t just about minerals: It’s about who pays the price for Europe’s “clean” future.

TIRANA / DURRES / BELGRADE / PRISTINA - Across the Balkans, particularly in Albania, a disturbing trend is emerging among organised crime figures and influencers: the ownership of exotic pets like lion and tiger cubs.

VILJANDIMAA — The peat trade implies big profits. At the same time, extracting peat is carbon intensive and destroys biodiversity. This investigation looks at how this business is especially lucrative for the Netherlands that do not just trade but also mine peat in Latvia and Estonia.

KOUNGOULOU - Europe’s growing demand for natural rubber to produce tyres has been destroying West Africa’s rainforests for large-scale industrial rubber plantations. In Cameroon, rubber conglomerate Halcyon Agri, which also sells rubber to the European Union (EU), has cleared at least 127 km2 of primary rainforest. The rubber market is growing steadily and is expected to exceed $50 billion by 2027.

CONAKRY / BELGRADE - According to Europol, the smuggling of songbirds and other tropical birds to the European Union (EU) has skyrocketed in recent years, especially along the Balkans trafficking route.

BELGRADE - A lot of money and political interest is at stake in Serbia, where there are significant lithium reserves. Geologists from mining giant Rio Tinto found Europe's largest lithium deposits under the farmland of the Jadar valley — enough to produce at least one million electric car batteries a year.