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.

Commission gives a warm welcome to unregistered lobbyists: Dalli not alone in ignoring transparency

05.11.2012

Ex-Commissioner John Dalli knowingly met with lobbyists who were not registered in the European Commission and European Parliament’s Transparency Register. Lobbyists who choose to hide from the public who they're lobbying for, on what subject, or how much money they’re spending to influence public policy. Lobbyists who work in the shadows. Shocking? Yes, but it is a very common practice in the Commission to meet with unregistered lobbyists, a sure-fire indicator that despite what it says, the Commission is not really concerned about lobby transparency.

Dalligate: Smokescreen or smoking gun?

25.10.2012

Over the last week an increasingly unclear and fraught picture of a major European lobbying scandal has been unfolding. “Dalligate” or “snusgate” has been heralded as “the biggest tobacco industry interference in public health policy at the European level”, and led to the unprecedented resignation – or maybe dismissal - of Maltese Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy, John Dalli. Given the Commission's normally relaxed attitude to industry lobbying, this was surprising. In fact, this is the first time a Commissioner has been removed over a lobby scandal.

A wake-up call for the Commission – lobbyists exploiting privileged access

17.10.2012

The resignation of the EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy John Dalli highlights the need for stronger measures to regulate EU lobbying to rule out the risk of privileged access and political corruption in EU decision-making. CEO outlines the need for the Commission to take action in five areas to tackle privileged access and prevent corruption.

Official complaint made re. inaccuracies in Transparency Register

28.09.2012

Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) submitted four complaints to the EU Transparency Register's secretariat, following an article published illustrating that the register is still incomplete and inconsistent.

After the first round of the expert groups battle

24.09.2012

The Parliament has given the Commission one last chance to clean up expert groups. Campaigners say the battle over corporate capture is not over.

The European Parliament decided on 19 September, 2012 to lift the block on €2 million (20 per cent) for the Commission's annual budget for its expert groups, the advisory groups set up to assist it in drafting legislation and policies. There are 823 of these groups now in existence.

Financial lobby

What was discussed during Commissioner Rehn's meetings with Goldman Sachs? Euro Commissioner has a transparency problem.

18.09.2012

Since the start of the eurocrisis, the European Commission has gained significant new powers to monitor and intervene in government budgets at a member-state level in the name of ‘economic governance’. But power must be accountable.

Commission must act to tackle business lobbyists in expert groups

14.09.2012

Brussels, 17 September 2012 – Transparency campaigners say that Commission proposals to tackle the dominance of corporate lobbyists in its advisory groups do not go far enough – and that instead new rules must be introduced to protect the legislative process from corporate capture.

ECB 'in denial' over G30 complaint

04.09.2012

The bank fails to answer the allegations concerning President Draghi’s membership of lobby group, lobby watchdog saysThe European Central Bank appears to be in denial, Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) said today, following the Bank’s formal response to the EU Ombudsman, following the complaint submitted by CEO regarding ECB President Mario Draghi’s membership of the Group of Thirty.

Climate

Climate sceptics launch Citizens Initiative to suspend EU climate targets - who's paying?

23.08.2012

Earlier this month the European Commission gave a green light for the ninth European Citizens Initiative (ECI) – a proposal to “Suspend the 2009 EU Climate & Energy Package”, the EU’s plan for cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 20% and to increase the use of renewable energy by 2020. The organisers can now start collecting the one million signatures needed for the Commission to consider their proposal.

Revolving doors

Better control of EU revolving door needed

25.07.2012

The revolving door has been in the headlines again in recent weeks with the speedy departure of a top official from the EU's medicines agency to a prominent law firm. Such moves, known as going through the revolving door, can allow the private sector to 'capture' or unduly influence the work of the public sector and it is vital that all public authorities including the EU agencies and the European Commission take this threat seriously.

Revolving doors

When business and politics intertwine

23.07.2012

It seems as if barely a week goes past these days without a high-level summit taking place in Brussels to discuss issues relating to the euro-zone crisis. Much has been said about the roots of the crisis but no one can deny that in the background is the lack of trust that people have in their national politicians and European institutions.

EU Research funds: a €20 billion gift to industry!

13.07.2012

Research funding is a hot topic these days between the European Parliament and member states, who are negotiating amendments to the draft text published in November 2011 by the European Commission. As things stand, the new round of research funding for 2014-2020 would add up to a whopping €86 billion euros, making it the largest EU budget after farm subidies and structural funds for regional development.