Press

As the EU rolls out its 'Therapeutics Strategy' for a range of new  COVID-19 treatments, it fails to do what's needed to make these life-saving medicines accessible and affordable for the world's poorest. The EU is repeating the same mistakes it made with COVID vaccines, which remain out of reach for the large majority in low-income countries. This is the conclusion of new research by Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) 'Bitter pill: How the EU's defence of pharma profits could keep COVID treatments out of reach for millions'.

The Paris Climate Agreement states that financial flows should be “consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate resilient development”. While this crucial issue will be addressed for the first time by the international community at the COP26 , the agenda and proposals on financial flows, have been steered and directed from A to Z  by the private financial sector.

A new report by Corporate Europe Observatory and Observatoire des multinationales, released today, pulls the curtain on the preparation of France's Presidency of the EU, which will start in January 2022. It finds worrying evidence that the Presidency of the Council risks being instrumentalised in favour of a corporate agenda shared by the French government and big business.

The Member of the European Parliament leading the influential energy committee’s work on the future of EU support for major energy projects is pushing the European Parliament to back renewed support for fossil gas - in line with demands of the gas industry – whilst refusing to reveal his meetings with gas lobbyists

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). 

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 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.

Big business is lobbying for a new EU court that could make member states pay huge sums of public money in compensation to corporations, when they regulate to protect workers, consumers and the environment. The hidden lobby battle is uncovered in a new report published today by lobby watchdog Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO).

Corporate lobbyists are fighting an announced EU law that seeks to hold companies accountable for human rights abuses and environmental destruction. This is evident from a new report by Brussels-based lobby-watchdog Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO), the European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ) and Friends of the Earth Europe based on dozens of documents obtained through freedom of information requests.