Other battles

Online privacy, clean air, affordable housing, whistleblower protection and much more: which other corporate lobby fights are putting EU public interest on the line?

Lobby groups & tactics

The ‘innovation principle’ trap

05.12.2018

A seemingly innocent concept, the “innovation principle” has been invented by some of the dirtiest industries in Europe. They have carefully and strategically inserted it into the EU system, where it could have a significant impact on the shaping of new EU legislation or policies, and those under revision.

Environment

Plastic pressure

26.11.2018

Industry lobbies continue their push to avoid robust obligations in the EU's proposal for dealing with single-use plastics.

Single market

The EU’s obstacle course for municipalism

28.10.2018

Progressive municipalist city governments from Barcelona, to Naples, to Grenoble have introduced radical democratic programmes to tranmsform the EU from the bottom up. Despite facing obstacles from neoliberal policies from the EU and member states, these cities are finding ways to bypass many of these hurdles.

Revolving doors

Accounting for influence

10.07.2018

We pay our taxes, so why don’t corporations? The Big Four are embedded in EU policy-making on tax avoidance and this report concludes that it is time to kick this industry out of EU anti-tax avoidance policy.

Single market

Commission protects AirBnB lobby paper as ‘commercial secret’

12.06.2018

The European Commission rebranded AirBnB lobbying documents as ‘commercial secrets’ and therefore denied public access. After eight months of wrangling over their release, Corporate Europe Observatory can report the documents show that AirBnB and similar rental platforms are attacking measures used by cities to protect affordable housing.

Digital

In battle for ePrivacy, Council of EU set to side with advertisers, telecoms and Big Data

04.06.2018

Since the EU’s new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has come into force, ePrivacy is now the new online data security frontier in the European Union. Corporate Europe Observatory’s new research shows how proposed rules are being watered down by EU member state governments in the Council of the European Union, following a deluge of industry lobbying.

Digital

Shutting down ePrivacy: lobby bandwagon targets Council

04.06.2018

Industry lobbyists who want to continue monetising users’ online data are battling against new ePrivacy regulations, targeting EU member states in the Council. And some member state governments are only too happy to help.

Environment

Plastic promises

22.05.2018

The plastics industry mounted a significant lobby campaign to influence the European Commission’s recent Plastics Strategy. Industry is now seeking to unpick or undermine key elements of the strategy through lacklustre or non-existing voluntary commitments, or outright opposition. With the Commission likely to publish its proposal to tackle single-use plastic products any day, will it adopt an ambitious approach towards binding regulations on industry?

Digital

Post-scandal Facebook: will the EU stop treating the tech giant as a trusted partner?

21.05.2018

Following the Cambridge Analytica affair and the massive leak of 87 million people’s data revealed earlier this year, Facebook is facing unprecedented scrutiny of its business model. Regulators must stop treating the social media giant as a trusted partner and better protecting EU citizens' digital rights.

Digital

UnFairbnb

02.05.2018

AirBnB and its allies are lobbying the EU to fight measures to protect affordable housing in cities across Europe. Our new report “UnFairbnb” looks at the way in which their Brussels lobbying undermines cities’ ability to regulate the AirBnB model for holiday rentals.

Environment

Packaging lobby’s support for anti-litter groups deflects tougher solutions

28.03.2018

As political support for radical solutions to tackle the scourge of single-use plastics grows, we look at the links between the packaging industry and anti-litter NGOs in Brussels and beyond.

More secrecy rights for business in the UK? No thanks!

14.03.2018

The UK government will shortly bring new EU rules on industrial espionage into law. But civil society is concerned that these new rules risk creating a chilling effect on future corporate whistle-blowers and those who report their stories.

Other battles

The ‘innovation principle’ trap

Plastic pressure

The EU’s obstacle course for municipalism

Accounting for influence

Commission protects AirBnB lobby paper as ‘commercial secret’

In battle for ePrivacy, Council of EU set to side with advertisers, telecoms and Big Data

Shutting down ePrivacy: lobby bandwagon targets Council

Plastic promises

Post-scandal Facebook: will the EU stop treating the tech giant as a trusted partner?

UnFairbnb

Packaging lobby’s support for anti-litter groups deflects tougher solutions

More secrecy rights for business in the UK? No thanks!

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