Brexit or Bremain? The UK referendum on the EU

While Corporate Europe Observatory is not taking a position on the UK referendum on 23 June about whether to leave or remain in the European Union, many of our publications are relevant to those who will have a vote, or those who are following the debate. We offer this short selection of our recent work – including on the UK financial lobby and its role at the EU level; the shared UK-EU deregulation agenda; and on the disastrous EU-US trade deal (TTIP) - as a contribution to the debate about the future of the EU.

Update: you can read CEO's first reflections after the Brexit vote here.

 

The ‘City of London’ lobby in Brussels

How Cameron delivered victories to Big Finance From the day a referendum on UK membership of the EU was first announced in 2013, the financial sector has successfully used the occasion to promote its deregulatory agenda. Press release: Bankers win big on UK referendum ballot (2016

UK bankers spend over €34 million a year to influence EU The UK financial sector spends at least €34 million per year on lobbying in Brussels and employs more than 140 lobbyists to influence EU policy-making, according to a new analysis (2016)

Lobbying on the UK referendum: a freedom of information black hole CEO tabled a series of freedom of information requests to find out how UK finance lobbies have been influencing the referendum negotiations and Capital Markets Union, but information has not been forthcoming (2016)

Regulating finance: a necessary but 'up-Hill' battle As far as financial regulation is concerned, lobbyists besiege the Commission – which has an open door policy towards them (2014)

UK prime minister David Cameron nominates revolving door ex-lobbyist as EU commissioner David Cameron's nomination of a revolving door ex-lobbyist, Jonathan Hill, as EU commissioner is bad news for Jean-Claude Juncker's newly-stated commitment to lobby transparency (2014)

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Deregulation

Better Regulation: corporate-friendly deregulation in disguise A deregulation agenda is sweeping through the European Commission and member states, particularly pushed by the United Kingdom. It featured in David Cameron's negotiations with the EU in the context of the Brexit referendum, and with the prospect of TTIP, rules to protect the public interest will come under even further assault (2016)

Cameron and the European Commission: doing the business of business Reflections upon the similarities between the UK and EU's 'better regulation' agendas (2015)

The crusade against 'red tape': How the European Commission and big business push for deregulation A crusade for big business-friendly deregulation, waged during José Manuel Barroso's Presidency of the European Commission, shows no signs of stopping (2014)

TTIP/ EU-US trade deal

The Zombie ISDS The push for foreign investor privileges in EU trade talks such as TTIP continues as the Commission attempts to re-brand the politically untenable investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) as an “Investment Court System” (2016)

Dangerous Regulatory Duet How transatlantic regulatory cooperation under TTIP will allow bureaucrats and big business to attack the public interest

TTIP: a corporate lobbying paradise Which businesses are pushing most for the proposed EU-US trade deal TTIP? Who’s influencing EU negotiators? (2015)

UK corporate lobbying on TTIP An analysis of UK ‘stakeholders’ working on TTIP illustrating how the forces for and against the EU-US trade deal are shaping up (2015)

Civil society groups demand a paradigm shift in EU trade and investment policies Find out more about the Alternative Trade Mandate, a proposal to make EU trade and investment policy work for people and the planet, not just the profit interests of a few (2013)

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For an overview of the hidden world of corporate lobbying in Brussels, check out our LobbyPlanet (2011) guide, which introduces some of the biggest lobby players operating in Brussels, as well as analysis of the carbon, finance and agribusiness lobbies.