Press Releases

In a plenary vote, the European Parliament today adopted a report by Monica Macovei MEP (PPE), deciding that the approval of the European food agency’s 2010 budget will be postponed. Also, a strong resolution was adopted denouncing the conflicts of interest that have plagued the agency. A similar decision was taken on the approval of the 2010 budget of the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

Brussels, Monday 7th May – A new pan-European network committed to opposing the European Union's Austerity Treaty was launched today at the end of a two-day conference on the EU crisis [1].

Some 300 people from across Europe joined the two day event in Brussels to discuss the EU in Crisis – analysis, resistance and alternatives.

For the first time, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has admitted that it did not take the necessary action to stop revolving doors. EFSA has stated that “regrettably” the authority did not follow up the relevant information. Further, the authority acknowledges that it has strengthened internal rules in response. 

28 March 2012 - New research reveals that the pharmaceutical industry lobby is spending more than €40 million annually to influence decision making in the European Union (EU) – of which nearly half is spent by drug manufacturers on in-house lobbyists.

According to these findings, civil society organisations active on EU medicines issues, on the other hand, spend a combined €3.4 million per year. With the immense disparity between the affluence of public interest groups and the industrial lobby, it becomes even more difficult to level the policy playing field.