May 22nd 2013Trade, Agribusiness
At the end of June, the European Union and the US will officially launch negotiations for a new free trade agreement known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The plan is to create the world's largest free trade area, 'protect' investment and harmonize regulation. While appealing to big business, the trade treaty poses a serious threat for citizens on both sides of the Atlantic, as it could weaken labour, social, environmental and consumer protection standards. One of the greatest risks includes US negotiators using the trade deal to push for the EU to open its plates and fields up to GM crops.
May 21st 2013Climate and Energy
The European Union (EU) and their national governments are set to discuss increased shale gas extraction in Europe which will increase environmental and social harm as well as dangerous climate change. Under the rhetoric of boosting growth, productivity and employment, lays the intention of furthering fossil fuel extraction including shale gas.
May 16th 2013
Public debate about the series of EU laws which are fundamentally restructuring economic and political governance in the EU.The debate will address the current developments, in particular the development of a Banking Union.
Thursday 23rd of May, 9.30-11.30 AM, Brussels.
May 15th 2013Trade
The EU's General Court has announced a date for the judgement in Corporate Europe Observatory's legal action, suing the European Commission for withholding information related to the EU’s free trade talks with India. The Commission is accused of discriminating in favour of corporate lobby groups and of violating the EU’s transparency rules. The judgement will be delivered on 7 June 2013.
May 8th 2013Lobbycracy
The report shows that Petite had a central role in the events that led to Dalli's forced resignation (under yet to be clarified circumstances, following bribery accusations) in mid-October 2012. Petite assisted tobacco company Swedish Match in submitting the complaint that triggered the OLAF investigation into the Dalli case, using his access to the Commission's Secretary-General Catherine Day, a former colleague at the European Commission.
Older entries
A Response To The Critics Of “Profiting From Injustice”
Some investment lawyers have rejected the allegations of "Profiting from Injustice", a report which looks at the role of law firms, arbitrators and third-party funders in the recent boom in lawsuits of foreign investors against states. This blog responds to their defence of the international investment regime, argueing that it is neither fair nor independent, but biased towards the interests of investors.
The Commission’s shabby implementation of UN rules for tobacco lobbying
Almost two months after Commissioner John Dalli resigned, it is still not clear what exactly happened in this tobacco lobby scandal. Commission officials have told Brussels journalists that Dalli had to resign because he held undisclosed meetings with tobacco lobbyists. But if Health Commissioner John Dalli had to resign because of undisclosed meetings with tobacco lobbyists, shouldn’t the same logic apply to high-level Commission officials in Barroso’s cabinet, at the Secretariat-General and other DGs?
20 years of Single Market: is there anything for Greeks to celebrate?
In October 2012, the EU celebrated 20 years of the Single Market created by the Maastricht Treaty. At the same time, the Eurozone economy contracted for the first time since 2009 signalling that the crisis in Europe has still not been overcome. The most significant contraction has been in peripheral Eurozone countries with the unambiguous champion, Greece, already in its fifth year of recession. This is one of the longest recessions in a developed country in history. So, does Greece have reason to celebrate the Single Market’s 20th anniversary? Or is the current crisis connected to Greece’s membership of the Single Market?
EFSA used to defend industry in lobbying battle on chemicals?
A report by freelance Stéphane Horel (covered today by Le Monde) reveals that more than half the members of the EFSA working group on endocrine disruptors (a class of toxic chemicals that interfere with the hormone system) have conflicts of interest, many of them with industry think-tank, ILSI.
Commission in court over privileged access for business in EU-India free trade talks
The EU's General Court has announced a date for the hearing for Corporate Europe Observatory's legal action, suing the EU Commission for withholding information related to the EU’s free trade talks with India. The Commission is accused of discriminating in favour of corporate lobby groups and of violating the EU’s transparency rules. The case will be heard in Luxembourg on 11 January 2012.
Pages
Corporate Europe Observatory
Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) is a research and campaign group working to expose and challenge the privileged access and influence enjoyed by corporations and their lobby groups in EU policy making.
All content on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
