Press

A new hotline for anonymous tip-offs about Big Tech lobbying is being launched today. Lobbying campaigns and tactics which either breach the EU transparency’s register code of conduct, or are considered to be an unregulated form of lobbying, can be passed on via the website lobbyleaks.eu.

EU lobby watchdog Corporate Europe Observatory has warned that the proposals by the President of  European Parliament in response to the Qatar-Morocco scandal are inadequate, leave the gate half-open, and don’t come close to ensuring there will be no future scandals. Some of the proposed reforms are promising: the ban on so-called friendship groups with third countries; revolving door rules for MEPs and the obligation for all MEPs to disclose meetings. 

By refusing to adopt rules to detect and prevent repressive regime lobbying, the EU institutions, have opened the door to bribery scandals and manipulation of decision-making.

Ahead of 3 December Global No Pesticides Day, More than 326 civil society organisations from across the globe, institutions and trade unions have published a Joint Statement demanding a ban on the export of hazardous chemicals that are forbidden in the EU. They urge the European Commission not to postpone the promised legislative proposal to achieve this.

636 fossil fuel lobbyists have been registered to the COP27 climate talks, affiliated with some of the world’s biggest polluting oil and gas giants.

Out of the publication yesterday afternoon of its ‘Work Programme 2023’ it became clear that the European Commission is breaking a political promise made two years ago to address the export of pesticides that are deemed too dangerous for human health in the EU and are therefore banned, but nevertheless exported on a massive scale to third countries like Brazil.

Ten civil society groups have published a report urging the EU to reject an upcoming proposal by the European Commission (EC) on the certification of carbon removals. The report concludes that this proposal is just another way for the oil and gas industry to keep fossil fuels flowing, risking catastrophic consequences.   

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’.