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Three business men walking in the rain

We expose the power
of corporate lobbying
in the EU.

Recent publications

podcast 24 sharepic
Lobbying the EU

EU Watchdog Radio 24

06.09.2021
In this new episode of EU Watchdog Radio, we start with a Bang. This podcast deals with the question how the big digital corporations and platforms like Facebook, Google, Amazon and others try to influence European policy making to keep their business models intact.
The lobby network
Lobbying the EU

The lobby network: Big Tech's web of influence in the EU

31.08.2021
As Big Tech’s market power has grown, so has its political clout. Just as the EU tries to rein in the most problematic aspects of Big Tech – from disinformation, targeted advertising to excessive market power – the digital giants are lobbying hard to shape new regulations.
sharepic podcast 23
Other battles

EU Watchdog Radio: Episode 23

18.07.2021
In this special Summer episode we bring you the true story of how the EU has been dealing with the covid-19 pandemic so far and why it seems to have a deep love affair with Big Pharma.
Working party teaser
Lobbying the EU

Business lobbies dominate secret channel to influence Council

13.07.2021
A secretive Council working party allows corporate lobbyists to influence policy positions. New research by Corporate Europe Observatory into this little scrutinised channel shows how business priorities – such as demands for deregulation – are given a privileged hearing by officials whilst public interest voices are shut out.
report front cover
Climate

Hijacking the Recovery Through Hydrogen

08.07.2021
The European Commission said it wants to avoid giving billions in bailouts to the fossil fuel industry like it did in 2008 - but it’s doing just that: In Italy, France, Portugal and the Spanish State, €8.3 billion of EU recovery funds will be spent on hydrogen and renewable gases, thanks to fierce industry lobbying at national and EU level.
RoundUp spray canister in front of EU Commission
Food & agriculture

Study shows EU Glyphosate assessment based on flawed science

02.07.2021
The glyphosate battle is back. A new scientific analysis finds that most of industry’s studies provided to EU authorities to prove glyphosate’s safety, did not meet basic international scientific standards as set by the OECD. This comes at a moment when the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is about to start its re-assessment of glyphosate, a key ingredient of the infamous weed killer Roundup.
All articles

Introducing: Corona Lobby Watch

Corona lobby watch

Lobbyists for many industries are opportunistically repackaging old demands, or developing new ones, and using the Corona Crisis to justify them - even if in many cases there is no clear link to the health emergency.

CEO has set up Corona Lobby Watch in order to monitor the moves of 'Coronawashing' lobbyists.

Find out more!

Issues we work on

Food & agriculture

How do agribusiness corporations impact decisions on our food system?

Trade

How is big business using the EU's trade and investment agreements to sideline people, planet and democracy?

Lobbying the EU

How vulnerable are the EU institutions to undue corporate influence, and what gaps exist in EU lobbying and ethics rules?

Finance

What influence does the financial lobby have over banking regulation and other financial markets?

Climate

How are polluting industries lobbying against real climate action?

Other battles

Online privacy, clean air, affordable housing, whistleblower protection and much more: which other corporate lobby fights are putting EU public interest on the line?

The corporate lobby tour

Sometimes stories in the news can make you wonder who is really pulling the strings. This 10-minute video exposes the role corporate lobby groups have in EU decision-making: who they are, how they get what they want, and how they affect you and others like you all over Europe. From the food on your plate, to rules for bankers, to the chemicals allowed in everyday products. Watch, learn, and share!

Help us stay independent

We are a small team that works fully independently of funding from EU
institutions and corporations.
Every single donation helps us fight the hold of Big Business over the EU.

Donate

Flagship reports

Lobby Planet Brussels

29.06.2017
There are an estimated 25,000 lobbyists working in Brussels; most of whom are representing the interests of corporations and their lobby groups. CEO’s Lobby Planet Guide takes you on a tour of the EU Quarter to explain the many – and often shady – methods of corporate lobbying used to influence decision making in the European Union.
Captured States report

Captured states

06.02.2019
Member states play a hugely important role in EU decision-making, but too often they act as middlemen for corporate interests. This report combines case studies, original research, and analysis to illustrate the depth of the problem – and what you can do about it.
report front cover

Hijacking the Recovery Through Hydrogen

08.07.2021
The European Commission said it wants to avoid giving billions in bailouts to the fossil fuel industry like it did in 2008 - but it’s doing just that: In Italy, France, Portugal and the Spanish State, €8.3 billion of EU recovery funds will be spent on hydrogen and renewable gases, thanks to fierce industry lobbying at national and EU level.
Man walking in the shadow

Off the hook?

16.06.2021
Corporate lobbyists are fighting a proposed EU law that seeks to hold companies accountable for human rights abuses and environmental destruction. While some employ outright hostility and are clear that they don’t want the law in the first place, more insidious are those companies that while appearing cooperative, seek to fatally weaken the rules. We reveal the tactics used to undermine this law that seeks to stop corporate impunity and would require companies to exercise ‘due diligence’ along their global supply chains.
cover

When the market becomes deadly

26.01.2021
From hospitals to care homes, the evidence is mounting that outsourcing and private provision of healthcare has significantly degraded EU member states’ capacity to deal effectively with COVID-19. The EU must reject the private sector lobbyists now whispering in its ear, and put public provision at the centre of its strategy.
ECT myth-buster cover

Busting myths around the Energy Charter Treaty

15.12.2020
Amidst growing concerns that the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) undermines urgent climate action, its corporate profiteers are spewing propaganda. Cut through the rhetoric with our myth-busting guide to the ECT.
All reports
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Charitable status
Corporate Europe Observatory is recognised by the Dutch tax office as a charitable institution (ANBI) under fiscal number 806634558. Legal and fiscal information can be found here.

Who funds us
Our funding policy rejects funding from EU institutions and corporations in order to maintain the independence of our research. See which grant-making foundations are supporting us.

Lobby transparency
Corporate Europe Observatory is registered in the EU lobby transparency register under identification number 5353162366-85.