MEP Virginie Joron (Patriots for Europe) has asked the European Commission to clarify its dealings with Conspiracy Watch, a French fact-checking organisation implicated in the Marianne Fund scandal, and whether it has informed relevant EU bodies of the negative assessment from the Robert Schuman Centre at the European University Institute.
In a written parliamentary question dated 15 July 2026, Joron points to the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom's 2026 report on France, which notes that the French government has supported Conspiracy Watch. The organisation, founded in 2007, has received EU-backed funding since 2018. However, its reputation was damaged by its involvement in the Marianne Fund scandal, where an anti-extremism public fund was allegedly misused to favour associates of former minister Marlène Schiappa, as reported by Les Jours in 2023.
whether the Commission has given Conspiracy Watch the opportunity to respond to the accusations; whether it has informed the European Digital Media Observatory and other stakeholders involved in fact-checking under the Digital Services Act of the negative assessment; and whether the Commission publishes the list of organisations that have unsuccessfully requested or lost trusted flagger status under the Digital Services Act.
The question targets the Commission's transparency and due process regarding organisations receiving EU funds and those designated as trusted flaggers. The Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks, and its answer will signal its stance on the matter.