Articles

Some of the world’s biggest companies producing chemicals for agricultural use, such as Bayer and Monsanto, are gearing up to join forces through mergers. This article exposes how the European Commission has consolidated its pro-merger track record over the past decades.

Nearly half (46%) of all experts sitting on the scientific panels of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) still are in a direct and/ or indirect financial conflict of interest situation with the agribusiness and food industries. EFSA's Management Board is to adopt new independence rules on 21 June 2017, but the draft policy is not sufficient despite repeated criticism from the European Parliament. The report concludes with recommendations for improvements.

A combined effect of EU-level policies and corporate lobbying is creating a pro-privatisation environment for healthcare provision in Europe. Our new research explores the EU policy areas – and the role of corporate lobbying – that encourages more privatised models of healthcare: marketisation, trade, public private partnerships, and economic governance.

Major news on the glyphosate front: the first ever independent analysis of the complete confidential data set sent by industry to the EU for the re-licensing of glyphosate, enabled by an exceptional disclosure, shows possible serious omissions in EFSA and ECHA's safety assessment. It is high time the complete data set is published in full to enable full scrutiny by the scientific community.

Reports of TTIP's death have been greatly exaggerated; its agenda fits all too well with Trump’s corporate buddies and with the EU’s corporate trade agenda - his plea to change US trade policy and populist outbursts notwithstanding. It is likely to return in one form or another.