Articles

On 28th October 2008, campaigners of the Seattle to Brussels network called on Trade Commissioner Baroness Ashton to end the unholy alliance between DG Trade and business lobby group BusinessEurope with a mock wedding celebration outside BusinessEurope's Going Global conference event.

The UN Convention on Biodiversity COP9/MOP4 conference takes place in Bonn from 12th – 30th May, where talks will focus on how to deal with the damage caused by genetically modified crops (MOP4) and on biodiversity, agrofuels, access to genetic resources and other crucial topics (COP9).

Brazil, the world’s leading exporter of agrofuels (crops grown for fuel), is hosting an International Conference on Biofuels between 17-21 November 2008. With over 1000 representatives from national governments, international organisations, academia, business and civil society, the event represents Brazil’s greatest PR effort so far to promote its ethanol as a sustainable renewable energy source in the face of mounting international scepticism and a growing global food crisis.

Challenging the intimate relationship between BusinessEurope and DG Trade

CEO has written an open letter to Commission President Barroso to urge him to end the privileged access and big business capture of EU trade policy. The letter follows a new report from CEO (" Global Europe: An open door policy for big business"), which reveals the close involvement of the European employers' federation, BusinessEurope, in drawing up the Global Europe trade strategy.

New research from CEO reveals the close involvement of the European employers' federation, BusinessEurope, in drawing up the Global Europe trade strategy. CEO's new report highlights how representatives from BusinessEurope were given privileged access in the preparations of the new strategy, with exclusive meetings with the former Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson and top officials from DG Trade.

Lula's Ethanol Show 17 November 2008, Sao Paulo