Articles

Earlier this week, the ALTER-EU coalition published the report “Commission lobby register fails transparency test”.This first in-depth assessment of the Commission’s register concludes that the voluntary approach is failing: the compliance rate is alarmingly low and the overall quality of information disclosed is very poor.

Oil industry lobbying at the heart of the EU has played a key role in influencing Europe's energy policy. The report BP - Extracting Influence at the Heart of the EU reveals BP’s close relationship with EU decision makers and highlights how the company has convinced Commissioners and others that BP’s interests are in the EU’s interest.

"Bilateral Investment Treaties represent the codification of a new hierarchy which places private commercial needs above the protection of the public interest, blurring – seriously, and perhaps fatally – the boundaries between public and private interests". Susan Leubuscher [1]

In October 2008 EU member states finally approved a deal which will bring aviation into the emissions trading scheme. The agreement follows three years of deliberations, yet despite the apparent commitment by the EU to cut greenhouse gas emissions, it will make little difference to the level of emissions from the aviation sector. How did this happen?

In March 2009 the Turkish government will host the fifth World Water Forum against a backdrop of what is probably the most sweeping water privatisation programme in the world. As well as privatizing water services, the government plans to sell of rivers and lakes. Turkish social movements, who hosted their own conference in Istanbul last month, suspect the Government is using the World Water Forum to push through this highly controversial agenda.

Gplus's mystery clientsAs the registration had been on line since 15 December, the question is what information the Commission considered incomplete.Luckily, the suspended registration itself can still be found on line. Under "Other (financial) information" we read that GPlus took the liberty of not listing all its clients:

Dear President Barroso, The undersigned, six civil society groups from Europe, call on you to act immediately to stop Commission officials from continuing to intervene on behalf of Telecom Italia in its efforts, via the International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and the New York State Court, to extract excessive and unwarranted compensation for the renationalisation of the Bolivian telecommunications company ENTEL, much to the detriment of the Bolivian people.