Online privacy, clean air, affordable housing, whistleblower protection and much more: which other corporate lobby fights are putting EU public interests on the line?
New information shows the chilling scope of proposed EU rules on services (the ‘Bolkestein Directive’) that would give the Commission advance veto power over decisions taken by parliaments and city councils on a vast range of services, including everything from childcare, to energy, to water, and even sex work.
New documents increase concerns over the controversial reform to the Services Notification Procedure (“Bolkestein Directive”), which could radically expand EU Commission powers over national and municipal services regulation: 55 files obtained via access to documents requests show the heavy influence of big business lobbies over the proposal.
There can be few more controversial clients for a lobbying consultancy than the regime of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. No surprises, then, that a Brussels-based lobbying firm has been less than forthcoming about its role. Corporate Europe Observatory lifts the lid on the company lobbying on behalf of this repressive regime.
The EU institutions are currently negotiating new single market rules that could have a severe and distinctly negative impact on decision-making in parliaments, regional assemblies and city councils across Europe. Read Corporate Europe Observatory's Questions & Answers on the proposal to give the Commission new powers to annul local decisions.
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.
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.
On 4 December, the arms industry and the EU came together for the 'European Defence Industry Summit'. Our new joint infographic explains how arms industry lobbying is shaping the EU's 'defence' agenda.
Lobbying by the arms industry has been playing an increasingly influential role in EU policy-making and the EU's plans to start funding 'defence' research and development.
As BusinessEurope gets ready for its annual private parley with Commissioners today, Corporate Europe Observatory takes a look at Brussels’ most influential lobbyist (inspired by The Guardian’s Pass notes column).
With KPMG compiling an assessment of the “operational and fiscal challenges” of state-owned enterprises for the public purse on behalf of the European Commission, concerns about a new wave of privatisation arise.
Last year, the EU’s trade secrets directive was enacted, but the way it defines these secrets is so broad that it will likely hinder public scrutiny of corporations in Europe. Our new report highlights what legislators and civil society organisations need to watch out for when implementing the directive.
In CEO's December 2015 interview with Renato Cinco, the City Councillor and chair of Rio’s Special Committee on the Water Crisis already warned of privatisation threats. Now, Brazil's “interim” government, signed an emergency loan to the State of Rio de Janeiro to help finance the 2016 Olympics infrastructure - a bailout conditional on the privatisation of the State's public water supply and sanitation company.
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