Articles

After the merger of Bayer and Monsanto, a DG Competition team member became the VP of Compass Lexecon, a consultancy firm involved in the merger process, working on behalf of German chemical giant BASF, which acquired 7.6bn euros of Bayer's assets. The Commission has refused access to documents related to this revolving door case.

EU politicians will cosy up with Big Toxics at a secretive event on 20 February to discuss a new 'European Industrial Deal' — a blatant showcase of corporate capture and an attempt to shift the political agenda in a more profit-minded direction.

As Prime Minister De Croo and President von der Leyen hobnob with the leaders of big business at BASF Antwerp, 70+ NGOs have demanded an end to privileged access for polluting industries and ambitious action on the toxic pollution, biodiversity, and climate crises.

As politicians get ready to cosy up with Big Toxics at a private event in a chemicals factory to discuss a new 'European Industrial Deal', Corporate Europe Observatory looks at how the Green Deal's proposals to reduce and replace toxic substances that harm health and ecosystems, have been delayed and sidelined.

Trade unions and civil society back MEPs' call to ban Amazon lobbyists from European Parliament. This is big news and Bram Vranken explains how we got here.

On Wednesday (7 February) MEPs will vote in the Strasbourg plenary on a proposal that would scrap any safety checks for GMOs (NGTs), as well as labelling and traceability requirements. Many of these MEPs, I suspect, will scratch their heads a few times about the implications of this deregulation proposal.

The Commission may shortly publish its thinking on 'essential use', an important component of the Green Deal's strategy on chemicals. This will help determine whether industry can carry on contaminating consumer products with hazardous substances or whether such chemicals should only be used when absolutely essential and when no safe alternatives exist.

New evidence reveals how Big Toxics and its allies have used misleading narratives to try to weaken the concept of ‘essential use’, to create regulatory loopholes for their hazardous products, and ultimately derailing the Commission’s flagship chemicals reform.

The European Parliament (and the EU member states' governments) is debating a new law for new GMOs that would come down to a complete deregulation: no more safety checks, mandatory traceability, nor labelling on the end product. This would mean that GM food could come on our fields and plates untested and unlabelled. Ask your MEPs to support strict regulations for all new GMOs to preserve our freedom of choice, health, and environment!