EU institutions

Brussels is at the centre of EU decision-making and as such attracts thousands of lobbyists promoting the interests of big business. In this section you can find basic information about this corporate lobbying and how it affects you as a citizen. Or you can visit our specific pages on the revolving door phenomenon of politicians who become lobbyists – and vice versa – and on the corporate dominance of expert groups whose advice helps make official policy for the EU.

If you want to investigate corporate lobbying, we have put together a list of online tools that can help.

No transparency - two years on

28.06.2010

Brussels, 22 June - Two years after its introduction the European Commission's lobby register has failed to bring lobbying into the open,the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation in the EU (ALTER-EU) said today. The group used the anniversary of the register to call on the Commission to take urgent steps towards a mandatory, joint register for the European Commission and European Parliament with improved transparency standards.

MEP Carl Schlyter: “Industry lobbying has buried ‘traffic-light’ labelling”

11.06.2010

In this interview with Corporate Europe Observatory, MEP Carl Schlyter, member of the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI), reflects on one of the biggest lobbying battles in Brussels in recent years on food labelling regulation.

A red light for consumer information

10.06.2010

In June, MEPs voted on new legislation on food labelling – determining what nutritional information should be displayed on the packaging of items such as snacks, soft drinks and ready-meals. The vote has been the subject of a major lobby campaign by the food industry, opposed to mandatory information on food packaging.

Action group disturbs Green-washing Week

02.06.2010

On the second day of the EU's Green Week, an action group took the stage during a session of the 2-day policy summit titled ‘Pricing the earth: How business can protect and profit from biodiversity’. The 'summit' was organised by Friends of Europe, a corporate-sponsored think tank. The activists spread a red banner reading ‘Green Week is as green as this banner’ and one listing the companies behind Friends of Europe, including BP, Dow, Areva and Coca Cola.

The People vs. Goldman Sachs

01.06.2010

The US investment bank Goldman Sachs is earning a reputation as public enemy no. 1 in the financial world. At the same time the firm is one of the Commission’s favourites when it comes to asking for advice on regulating financial markets . It is high time for the Commission to close the door on Goldman Sachs, this article concludes.

Lobbying for governments in Brussels

27.05.2010

This report from Corporate Europe Observatory presents 15 recent examples of governments using lobby consultancies to influence the EU institutions, including Belarus, Botswana, Ethiopia, Jersey, Kazakhstan and Sri Lanka. They all have hired “public affairs” firms in Brussels to try and boost their diplomacy work. Their motives differ, but include polishing their image, gaining political support, securing EU funding or preferential trade treatment, and blocking new EU regulations.

Bursting the Brussels Bubble - New Book

26.04.2010

Brussels, 26 April 2010 – The ALTER-EU coalition today sets out its road map for greater transparency and accountability in the European Union with the publication of a new book: Bursting the Brussels Bubble – the battle to expose corporate lobbying at the heart of the EU”.

EU Financial Lobby Power Must Be Curbed

14.04.2010

Brussels, 14 April 2010 – The European Commission's new initiatives to regulate financial markets are based on unbalanced advisory groups dominated by financial services lobbyists, new research published by Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) today shows. This has delayed and undermined the quality of the Commission’s regulatory responses to the financial crisis.

EPACA complaint against CEO dismissed

29.03.2010

Brussels 30 March 2010 – Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) has welcomed the European Commission’s decision [1] to dismiss a complaint filed by the lobbying consultancies' association EPACA alleging that CEO had breached the European Commission's Code of Conduct for Interest Representatives [2].

EFSA's revolving doors: complaint filed

24.03.2010

The Germany-based NGO Testbiotech has today filed an official complaint with the European Ombudsman against EFSA, the EU's food safety agency. The complaint targets EFSA's decision to allow Suzy Renckens, head of EFSA'sGMO Unit, to become a lobbyist for biotech giant Syngenta, without any 'cooling off' period or other restrictions. Renckens move to become a leading lobbyist for one of the major biotech companies in Europe implies an obvious conflict of interest.

Financial industry shapes EU regulation

05.11.2009

The new ALTER-EU report 'A captive Commission - the role of the financial industry in shaping EU regulation' can be found at: http://www.alter-eu.org/en/system/files/publications/CaptiveCommission.pdf Brussels, November 5, 2009 - The vast majority of financial ‘experts’ advising the European Commission represent the banks and investors responsible for the global economic crisis, according to a new report published today by the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER EU) [1].

Climate

Business Conference blocked

30.10.2009