Financial Lobbies in Brussels

Two weeks ago, Corporate Europe Observatory and India FDI Watch published a report that revealed how the negotiations for a free trade agreement between the EU and India had been hijacked by business interests. The EU Commission has responded to the report by rejecting the allegations, claiming that there was no business bias in the trade talks.

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Comment piece published in Public Service Europe on December 8 2011.

Brussels, 24 May – Transparency campaigners today urged the ad hoc working group examining MEPs' code of conduct, which meets tomorrow, to investigate the role of cross-party MEP-industry forums, after research found that at least 15 of such groups are active in the Parliament but are not regulated [1].

Corporate Europe Observatory found that many of the groups, which bring together MEPs and business representatives on specific issues, are run by corporate lobbyists, providing  privileged access and influence over policy issues.

As the Buzek working group to develop a code of conduct for MEPs following the cash-for-amendments scandal Corporate Europe Observatory starts to wrap up its work, it could do worse than look at a recent academic study which shows that the European Parliament has one of the weakest regulatory regimes for lobbying in the world.