Single market

In an open letter to European Commissioner Bieńkowska we've expressed the grave concerns of several civil society groups and political parties involved in running major European cities about flaws in the European Commission’s preparation of the Services Notification Procedure Directive, which put local democracy at risk.

New information shows the chilling scope of proposed EU rules on services (the ‘Bolkestein Directive’) that would give the Commission advance veto power over decisions taken by parliaments and city councils on a vast range of services, including everything from childcare, to energy, to water, and even sex work.

New documents increase concerns over the controversial reform to the Services Notification Procedure (“Bolkestein Directive”), which could radically expand EU Commission powers over national and municipal services regulation: 55 files obtained via access to documents requests show the heavy influence of big business lobbies over the proposal.

The EU institutions are currently negotiating new single market rules that could have a severe and distinctly negative impact on decision-making in parliaments, regional assemblies and city councils across Europe. Read Corporate Europe Observatory's Questions & Answers on the proposal to give the Commission new powers to annul local decisions.

Progressive municipalist city governments from Barcelona, to Naples, to Grenoble have introduced radical democratic programmes to tranmsform the EU from the bottom up. Despite facing obstacles from neoliberal policies from the EU and member states, these cities are finding ways to bypass many of these hurdles.

The European Commission rebranded AirBnB lobbying documents as ‘commercial secrets’ and therefore denied public access. After eight months of wrangling over their release, Corporate Europe Observatory can report the documents show that AirBnB and similar rental platforms are attacking measures used by cities to protect affordable housing.

AirBnB and its allies are lobbying the EU to fight measures to protect affordable housing in cities across Europe. Our new report “UnFairbnb” looks at the way in which their Brussels lobbying undermines cities’ ability to regulate the AirBnB model for holiday rentals.

As BusinessEurope gets ready for its annual private parley with Commissioners today, Corporate Europe Observatory takes a look at Brussels’ most influential lobbyist (inspired by The Guardian’s Pass notes column).

With KPMG compiling an assessment of the “operational and fiscal challenges” of state-owned enterprises for the public purse on behalf of the European Commission, concerns about a new wave of privatisation arise.

‘Dieselgate’ was the result of corporate-driven deregulation. Our new report takes a look at the complicity of the Commission's 'Better Regulation' agenda and at the way member states and European institutions have turned a blind eye to industry-wide abuse.

8 November 2016 saw the annual lobby fest between the Commission and BusinessEurope. Lasting for over seven hours, attracting four commissioners and the secretary-general, as well as 26 major corporate interests (who between them spend over €31,789,000 a year on EU lobbying), this is exclusive, privileged access at its most extreme.

On 3 December, BusinessEurope will hold a seven hour corporate lobby conclave in the European Commission headquarters in what is a clear and worrying sign that “Team Juncker” is very much in bed with big business!