Articles

After a decade of campaigning, the EU just patched a major flaw in its food safety system. The revision of the General Food Law Regulation will provide public access to most of the confidential toxicity data provided by food companies to obtain EU market authorisation for their products. This could improve scientific scrutiny of EU food safety decisions, if issues around data re-use rights are solved.

Despite strong calls from MEPs and the public, ExxonMobil and its lobby groups mobilise enough behind-the-scenes pressure to stop the European Parliament taking away its lobby badges

China is flexing its soft power in Europe, cultivating networks of think tanks and lobbyists, in particular to promote its flagship programme the 'New Silk Road'. Meanwhile European failures in lobby transparency mean these influencing activities take place far beyond the light of public scrutiny.

Since 2010, ExxonMobil has invested over €35 million in lobbying the European Union to delay and weaken essential climate action. With a climate catastrophe looming, is it time EU decision-makers closed the door on the corporation's dirty lobbying?

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.

Two years after the suspension of TTIP, the EU is preparing mandates for new trade talks with the US. Once again corporate lobby groups are working to set the agenda, while the European Commission covers over its links with big business.

Today, more than 60 international, European and national civil society groups have called on European decision makers to uphold the Paris Agreement and not mandate new trade negotiations with the USA.

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.