Articles

Fossil fuel interests have captured tens of billions of COVID-19 public recovery funds. New research by the Fossil Free Politics campaign reveals a massive lobbying effort by the fossil fuel industry to win concessions for climate-damaging energy schemes, to weaken environmental standards across Europe, and to water-down the EU Green Deal.

Civil society groups demand action from the European Commission on revolving doors. In a open letter they list proposals that follow on a case in the European Banking Authority, that showed how the Commission is responsible for loopholes.

In this new episode, after a long summer break we dive into the topic that is unfortunately still on everyone's mind each and every day: the raging pandemic. Our main question: when will there be a vaccine? The second question: who controls the development of those vaccines? And who protects the general interest or public health against the problematic, profit-maximising business-models rampant in Big Pharma? Three experts (Olivier Hoedeman, Yannis Natsis and Ellen 't Hoen) provide the answers and warn European policymakers that more transparency is the best antidote for spreading conspiracy

A battle has been raging within the European Commission over the upcoming Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, with industry lobbies actively feeding their Commission allies with ammunition. With two weeks to go before the final strategy is launched, the stakes could not be higher.

Big Tech firms are spending more and more lobbying in Europe – a clear sign of the industry’s growing power. Its increased lobby spending also reflects the importance of key upcoming policy battles. Yet, lack of transparency remains a problem.

In a pandemic the pharmaceutical industry is hailed as a saviour; yet the industry is using the crisis to lock in its problematic, profit-maximising model. Pushing for public money with no-strings-attached, the industry’s wish-list could restrict access to COVID-19 drugs and vaccines, prolonging the pandemic in the name of profit.

In this tenth episode, German journalist Harald Schumann- co-founder of Investigative Europe, describes how and why many EU member states seem to still have a crush on fossil fuels.