Press

A significant number of European scientists active in biotechnology research, are actively lobbying for deregulating new gene editing techniques; While at the same time they have direct or indirect vested and undisclosed interests in the marketing of plants derived from those techniques via patents, patent applications or via links with the seed industry. That is revealed today by a new report commissioned by the Greens/EFA in the European Parliament: ‘Behind the smokescreen. Vested interests of EU scientists lobbying for GMO deregulation’. 

EU data website LobbyFacts.eu, coordinated by lobby watchdogs Corporate Europe Observatory and LobbyControl, shines a light on just how much money has been spent on lobbying in the past seven years, revealing that the companies with the highest declared lobby budgets have increased their spending by a third over this time.   

Yesterday's revelations in The Guardian, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, Le Monde, and others, illuminate the laissez-faire approach of the European Commission to revolving doors, conflicts of interest, privileged access, and corporate capture.

The European Commission presented today its long awaited proposal for a regulation to reduce pesticide use in Europe in order to avoid ecosystem collapse. The proposal  has been given a cautious welcome by food and farming  groups today. Campaigners see it as an urgent and welcome first step, but more is needed to put Europe on the path to a sustainable and healthy food system and protect the health of farm workers, citizens and the environment.

Almost two years after lobby watchdog Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) filed Freedom of Information (FOI) requests concerning the Covid-19 vaccine contracts and negotiations between the EU and pharmaceutical companies, the European Commission has published a final batch of 275 documents.

A week ahead of the planned publication of the “EU Nature Protection Package”, and with rumors of a second delay persisting, 24 European environment and health groups, farmer organisations and farm worker trade union jointly call on the EU Commission to maintain its ambition and introduce strong and binding targets to avoid the EU Green Deal being further undermined.

The European Commission’s proposal on human rights obligations of companies bears damaging marks from a successful business campaign, a new report said.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) decided to maintain the existing classification of glyphosate: toxic to aquatic life but still no classification as a carcinogen, despite of even stronger scientific evidence than in 2015 when WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic to humans". The "Ban Glyphosate" NGO coalition strongly rejects ECHA’s conclusion that “available scientific evidence did not meet the criteria to classify glyphosate for specific target organ toxicity, or as a carcinogenic, mutagenic or reprotoxic substance”.

The EU’s 300 billion euro response to the growing energy crisis presented by the Commission today, which emphasized ‘eye-blinding ambitions’ for energy efficiency and investments in renewable energy production, should not distract from the fact that the fossil fuel energy companies managed to get their future business secured as well. The announced EU Energy Platform for joint purchases of gas, LNG and hydrogen, which will also identify new gas infrastructure needs, was revealed by Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) to be advised by the gas industry, a huge conflict of interest.