Lobbying the EU

How vulnerable are the EU institutions to undue corporate influence, and what gaps exist in EU lobbying and ethics rules?

EU Council Portuguese Presidency

Fossil free politics

NGOs demand Portuguese EU Presidency puts public interest centre stage

Sixty four civil society organisations from Portugal and across the EU have today demanded action to tackle corporate influence and to promote lobby transparency, accountability, and democratic reform.

© European Union, 2020

Big Tech brings out the big guns in fight for future of EU tech regulation

The next big EU lobby battle is already underway: Google, Facebook, and Microsoft are among the companies making huge efforts to shape the upcoming Commission proposals to regulate the digital market. And the Brussels Bubble is already buzzing.

EU Staff revolving doors

Revolving doors

From Facebook friends to lobby consultants

Several recent revolving door scandals show the weakness of EU staff rules on public officials taking up roles – particularly lobbying roles – in the private sector. Only one in two hundred applications for employment during the notification period or while on leave are rejected by the Commission services.

EBA Director Farkas (right) and EBA Chair Campa (left) are in the spotlight over revolving doors problems. (Edited image. Photos: EBA)

Banking regulation

European Commission: Take action to stop revolving doors

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.

Digital Lobby

Lobby transparency

Big Tech Lobbying

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.

Pharma vaccines

Power and profit during a pandemic

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.

Smoke and mirrors

Smoke and mirrors

Given the upcoming revision of the Tobacco Products Directive, it is high time that the EU meets its obligations to ensure that lobbying by the tobacco industry to influence public officials faces tighter scrutiny and pro-active transparency.

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EU Watchdog Radio: Episode 7

In this seventh episode Vicky Cann from Corporate Europe Observatory and Nina Katzemich from LobbyControl dig into the so-called green credentials of the German Government. They explain how the Government’s ‘love affair’ with gas and its unconditional support for the automobile sector are two clear cut examples of how its EU Presidency, starting today, risks preventing effective climate action by the EU.

Tainted love teaser

EU institutions

Tainted love

Germany will shortly take over the EU Council Presidency at a critical time. A new report looks at the German Government’s record in its own EU decision-making and exposes how time and again it is too close to corporate interests.

Roundup Cocktail

Lobby transparency

Hidden contracts? Corporate lobby spending in EU member states in the spotlight

Corporate Europe Observatory filed a complaint to the Register regarding the inaccurate, low-ball lobby spending figures declared by both Monsanto and its lobby firm FleishmanHillard. In response the Register’s secretariat has now announced it will present new guidelines to make sure registrants will include their lobbying spending at national level if it concerns EU policy-making. This should generate a far more realistic picture of corporate lobby spending in the EU.

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Research & innovation

In the Name of Innovation

A detailed summary of the findings and conclusions of two extensive reports on research public-private partnerships in the EU: the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) and the Bio-Based Industries (BBI) Joint Undertakings.

BBI report top image

Research & innovation

Research & Destroy

BBI is a public-private partnership between lobby groups representing the agribusiness, forestry, biotechnology, chemical, and fossil fuel industries on the one hand, and the European Commission’s DG Research & Innovation, ostensibly to help build a “sustainable low-carbon economy”.

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