Press

Following a leaked position paper and statements by trade officials, 178 environmental, health, labor, and consumer organizations are demanding detailed explanations from EU and U.S. trade negotiators about proposals to address differences in their laws.

EU watchdogs warn member states that they should not appoint food industry lobbyists onto the Board of the EU's Food Safety Authority. Next May 7, member states sitting in the Council of Permanent Representatives (Coreper) will vote to appoint seven members of the Management Board of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

Brussels, 15 April 2014 – The European Commission’s weak reform proposals for the investor rights in the proposed EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) would not prevent a corporate litigation boom against democratic policies to protect public health and the environment, argues a new briefing by Corporate Europe Observatory.

Strongly-worded resolution first shot in battle with Commission over weak voluntary register.

Today, the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER-EU), AK EUROPA (Brussels office of the Austrian Chamber of Labour) & ÖGB Europabüro (Brussels office of the Austrian Trade Union Federation), together with a broad coalition of civil society organisations from across Europe, are launching their campaign to urge candidates for the upcoming European elections to “stand-up for citizens and democracy against the excessive lobbying influence of banks and big business”.

Following a complaint made by Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) about the European Commission's secrecy in the Dalligate scandal [1], the European Ombudsman, Emily O'Reilly, has today published her draft opinion that the Commission should publicly release two letters and two internal notes concerning the resignation of former Commissioner John Dalli.

The financial industry spends more than €120 million per year on lobbying in Brussels and employs more than 1.700 lobbyists to influence EU policy-making, according to a study published today by Corporate Europe Observatory, ÖGB Europabüro (Brussels office of the Austrian Trade Union Federation), and AK EUROPA (Brussels office of the Austrian Chamber of Labour).

In reaction to numerous conflicts of interest scandals at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the European Parliament today voted for a resolution to ban scientists with ties to the agriculture and food industries from working at the agency. The Parliament urges the EFSA to introduce “a two-year cooling-off period to all material interests related to the commercial agrifood sector”, a measure which would considerably improve the food agency's tarnished reputation and compromised integrity.

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE SEATTLE TO BRUSSELS NETWORK

Brussels/Amsterdam, 27 March 2014 - Campaigners from the Seattle to Brussels Network [1] have criticised the European Commission’s consultation on the investor rights in the EU-US trade deal as a mock consultation aimed at selling its pro-industry agenda, rather than an honest attempt to have a much-needed open debate on the issue. The public consultation was launched earlier today.