Lobbycracy
Brussels is at the centre of EU decision-making and as such attracts thousands of lobbyists, promoting the interests of big business. Easily outnumbering and outspending public interest groups, corporate lobbyists are also given privileged access by the European institutions. The emerging lobbycracy results in flawed policies that put commercial interests above those of people and the environment and undermines the very basis of democracy.
March 19, 2013 - 10:51
Ombudsman Investigates Big Tobacco Lobbyist on EU Ethics Panel. Press Release from LobbyControl, Corporate Accountability International and Corporate Europe Observatory. The European Ombudsman is now investigating the European Commission's reappointment of a high-profile revolving door case, Michel Petite, the former head of the Commission's Legal Service-turned-lawyer for Big Tobacco, to the ad hoc ethical committee, which advises on Commissioners going through the revolving door. This follows a complaint made by Lobby Control, Corporate Accountability International and Corporate Europe Observatory in February. The Ombudsman has asked Commission President Barroso to respond to allegations that Michel Petite's reappointment breaks rules about independence and the requirement for an impeccable professional record.
March 6, 2013 - 11:10
The EU Ombudsman has launched an investigation into the European Commission's secrecy around 'Dalligate', the tobacco lobbying scandal that led to the forced resignation of health Commissioner John Dalli.
February 26, 2013 - 15:13
In September last year, CEO submitted four complaints to the Transparency Register's secretariat about entries that broke the rules. We're now facing the two year review of the lobby register, and signs of real political level debate and transformation are not promising. What can the results of our complaints, last year's public consultation on the register and its annual report, tell us about the voluntary lobby register's progress so far? And what is needed to ensure a transformation towards true transparency?
February 21, 2013 - 15:28
In this open letter to Members of the European Parliament and Member States of the EU, 20 organisations such as the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU), the farmers' union La Via Campesina or the European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility ask that the €10 billion budget cut foreseen to the EU' 2014-2020 Research budget (called Horizon 2020) only affect industry subsidies that will mainly go to large multinational companies, not public interest research which is vital for Europe's future.
February 18, 2013 - 08:53
One of the biggest lobby offensives in recent years has been raining down on Brussels, as American internet giants have taken fright at the prospect of new data privacy laws proposed for the EU. But it turns out that an alarmed Amazon or enraged eBay are aggressive animals, with friends in high places. The result of this massive lobby effort has been revealed by a new crowdsourced lobby transparency project, LobbyPlag, which shows how MEPs have copy-pasted amendments written by IT multinationals directly into the EU’s new data protection law.
February 14, 2013 - 11:23
The European Ombudsman has launched an investigation into the European Commission's alleged failure to prevent conflicts of interest among staff as a result of the revolving door - where EU staff take up jobs with lobby firms and vice versa.
February 4, 2013 - 15:26
'For a European Spring' is a call for actions and demonstrations all over Europe on the 13th of March, and for a pan-European demonstration and creative actions in Brussels on the 14th. It targets the EU Spring Summit, where leaders from across the continent will assemble on the 14th and 15 to further strengthen the European Council's neoliberal response to the crisis.
Corporate Europe Observatory is one of many groups involved. Read about the activities we're involved in - and those of others.
February 1, 2013 - 14:12
The European Commission promised MEPs in September 2012 that it would rebalance its advisory 'expert groups', putting an end to the dominance of big business interests. DG Enterprise even set a date: 31 January 2013. However, a short investigation by ALTER-EU shows the Commission has missed its deadline, and in some cases groups have become even more industry dominated. it's now down to MEPs to ensure the Commission produces more than empty promises.
January 31, 2013 - 10:51
In the complaint, CEO accuses the Commission of secrecy, selective release of documents and failure to fulfill its obligations under EU transparency legislation (Regulation 1049/2001).
January 30, 2013 - 14:03
The longer term effects of the revolving door between public officials and private sector lobbyists have been graphically illustrated in the wake of the Dalligate lobby scandal, in the case of Michel Petite. Five years on, Petite represents the legal interests of corporate clients to the Commission. Aside from the nutty Commission decision to reappoint him as an ethical adviser on the revolving door, the Petite case illustrates that the upper echelons of political power at the European Commission still don't take the problem of the revolving-door seriously. The EU is seriously lagging behind our neighbours across the Atlantic, in the U.S. and Canada.
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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.
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