Europe already has more than enough gas infrastructure, and to avoid wrecking the climate we need to make massive cuts in gas usage. A joint investigation by Global Witness and Corporate Europe Observatory shows that the leading MEP for the review of TEN-E, the EU’s rules governing billions of euros in energy subsidies, has tabled amendments that mirror gas industry demands and are now close to being adopted by the whole Parliament

In this new episode of EU Watchdog Radio, we start with a Bang. This podcast deals with the question how the big digital corporations and platforms like Facebook, Google, Amazon and others try to influence European policy making to keep their business models intact.

New research by Corporate Europe Observatory and LobbyControl shows that Big Tech has spent record sums of money to lobby EU institutions. The report shows that the digital industry now spends nearly €100 million on lobbying, a sum which dwarfs all other lobby spending by the private sector. This lobby surge comes as the EU discusses more stringent regulations on tech companies via the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

As Big Tech’s market power has grown, so has its political clout. Just as the EU tries to rein in the most problematic aspects of Big Tech – from disinformation, targeted advertising to excessive market power – the digital giants are lobbying hard to shape new regulations.

In this special Summer episode we bring you the true story of how the EU has been dealing with the covid-19 pandemic so far and why it seems to have a deep love affair with Big Pharma.

New research by Corporate Europe Observatory shows how a behind-the-scenes Council 'working party' which plays a key role in preparing the positions that member states take in the Council on proposed EU laws and policies is offering privileged access to corporate interests.

A secretive Council working party allows corporate lobbyists to influence policy positions. New research by Corporate Europe Observatory into this little scrutinised channel shows how business priorities – such as demands for deregulation – are given a privileged hearing by officials whilst public interest voices are shut out.

The European Commission said it wants to avoid giving billions in bailouts to the fossil fuel industry like it did in 2008 - but it’s doing just that: In Italy, France, Portugal and the Spanish State, €8.3 billion of EU recovery funds will be spent on hydrogen and renewable gases, thanks to fierce industry lobbying at national and EU level.

A new scientific analysis (1) concludes that the European Food Safety Authority's (EFSA) claim that glyphosate is not genotoxic cannot be justified on the basis of manufacturers’ studies. Of the 53 industry-funded studies used for the EU’s current authorization of glyphosate, 34 were identified as "not reliable", 17 as "partly reliable" and only 2 studies as "reliable" from a methodological point of view.