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Corporate Europe Observatory

corporateeurope.org/en

The corporate capture of EU decision-making leads to policies that exacerbate social injustice, economic inequality, climate change and environmental destruction. From the negotiation of new free trade agreements, to false solutions to global warming, and attacks on the regulation of toxic chemicals

Society / politics / economy

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2026 55

  1. Big Tech lobbying pushes EU towards sweeping deregulation of data protection rules, new research reveals
  2. The Big Tech campaign to kill data protection in Europe
  3. Free lobby tour on Big Tech and the Far Right
  4. Articles
  5. Congratulations to Judge Pillay for her Nobel Peace Prize
  6. The Triangle of Madness:
  7. The MAGA campaign in Europe against regulation of Big Tech is based on “far-fetched claims”, but it is dangerous nonetheless
  8. Traced: How pesticide industry demands made their way into Omnibus X
  9. Food & Feed Omnibus, co-written by the pesticide lobby
  10. No place for Palantir in a democratic Europe!
  11. Free lobby tour on the EU's deregulation frenzy
  12. SOTEU: von der Leyen doubles down on deregulation
  13. Deregulation Watch
  14. A deadly alliance of Big Tech and Big Oil
  15. Indemnifying Bayer
  16. Discover all podcast episodes here
  17. Action: Tell MEPs to stop the dismantling of EU pesticide laws
  18. The Ombudsman to shed light on the Commission’s opaque meetings with business
  19. Industry in the driving seat of the EU's Critical Chemicals Alliance
  20. Captured! The Critical Chemicals Alliance: by industry, for industry
  21. European Commission backtracks on promise to end EU exports of banned and dangerous pesticides
  22. A slide away from better regulation, not progress towards it
  23. Civil society groups warn Commission's Better Regulation overhaul risks privileging corporate interests
  24. The EU's new 'AI Envoy' is a tech CEO with extraordinary conflicts of interest
  25. Climate The EU corporate lobby league 2026 Big business spends more on lobbying than ever 11.06.2026 Corporate spending on lobbying the EU keeps on rising, according to new analysis by Corporate Europe Observatory and LobbyControl. Big Tech spending tops them all.
  26. Lobbying the EU EU Inc: A corporate master plan to attack our rights 09.06.2026 A primer on the eight things you need to know about “EU Inc.” and the 28th Regime, how it will lead to attacks on workers rights, and help companies evade taxation.
  27. Climate New free screenings of our documentary! Join us in Barcelona, Valencia and Madrid on June 8th, 9th and 10th. 04.06.2026 Join us in Barcelona, Valencia and Madrid on June 8th, 9th and 10th.
  28. Food & agriculture A Degenerative Lobby ‘Regenerative Agriculture’: the new buzzword for Agrobusiness 01.06.2026 Pesticide corporations like Bayer and Syngenta are among a very broad range of actors from the global agribusiness and food sector who are behind the push for what they call “regenerative
  29. Lobbying the EU 182 out of 184 This is what corporate capture looks like 27.05.2026 We need to talk about what deregulation actually means in Brussels right now. It means one commissioner holding 184 meetings with external actors, 182 of them with business groups. Check out our new podcast episode w
  30. Climate Permission to Pollute EU rips up permit rules and funds dirty infrastructure 11.05.2026 New report on how the European Commission is weakening permitting rules to fast-track polluting projects, such as mines, CO2 pipelines and data centres.
  31. Polluters have knives out again for the forever chemicals ban 21.05.2026 While the European Chemicals Agency is consulting on the proposed PFAS ban, the plastics industry is once again mobilising to criticise alternatives to their products.
  32. Food & agriculture Take action: Say no to deregulation GMO food Protect food and farming from corporate control 23.04.2026 The European Union is planning a major hand-out to big corporations like Bayer and BASF, that aim to control the food chain even further. What do they intend to do? Scrapping sa
  33. Food & agriculture CORRECTIV: "The pact with the chemical industry" 20.04.2026 Tens of thousands of unknown, sometimes toxic, chemicals are floating in the Rhine. Why is industry allowed to discharge them unhindered? A top manager of a major corporation reveals how industry controls politicians. Tra
  34. Lobbying the EU Copy, paste, govern Microsoft ghostwrote EU policy that keeps data centres' energy use secret 15.04.2026 The EU Commission’s policy on data centres keeps information on individual centres' energy and water use under wraps. Research now reveals the Commission copied and pasted an amen
  35. Free lobby tour on the EU's deregulation frenzy Join us for a free lobby tour of Brussels on 23rd April and 28th May at 5pm 14.04.2026 The European Commission’s deregulation frenzy means attacks on labour rights, climate policies, nature protection, public health. Join us if you want to know more! S
  36. Food & agriculture Biotech lobby groups are set to trap farmers and breeders in patent minefield Deregulation of new GM crops will increase seed market concentration, undermine resilience of the food system 12.04.2026 A new EU law that would scrap any safety or labeling rules for a class of new GM c
  37. Climate UK Premiere: The Scramble for Hydrogen in South Africa May 5th, 2026 09.04.2026 Join us on May 5th in London for the UK premier of The Scramble for Hydrogen in South Africa
  38. 2025 Annual Review 09.04.2026 2025 reaffirmed the importance of organised resistance. From exposing corporate capture, to challenging false climate solutions and defending social rights, civil society organisations continued to speak out against injustice. Read our 2025 annual review!
  39. Climate 70 CSOS tell MEPs to reject latest PCI list in its current form MEPs should focus on electricity grids, and cut hydrogen and gas pipelines from EU priority energy infrastructure list 23.03.2026 Ahead of the European Parliament plenary vote on 26 March 2026 on an objection to the delegated ac
  40. Food & agriculture The Pollution Playbook: How industry blocks regulation of toxic chemicals New episode of EU Watchdog Radio 26.03.2026 Check out our new podcast episode with Nina Holland, Rachel Radvany and Olivier de Schutter.
  41. Lobbying the EU Inside the far-right network targeting Europe’s digital rules 25.03.2026 The Trump administration and a network of far-right think tanks are increasingly targeting the EU’s digital regulations and rules on content moderation. Far-right MEPs have taken over these narratives, while tec
  42. Lobbying the EU This is what corporate capture looks like! Report: How corporations run the EU deregulation agenda 01.04.2026 Where do the EU deregulation laws come from? From extensive talks between the European Commission and business groups, often in opaque new types of dialogue, according to the
  43. Lobbying the EU New video series Check out our weekly new explainer videos on topics ranging from lobbying to deregulation 10.03.2026 Sometimes, what we do can sound complicated. So, we decided to create a series of simple videos to explain some of the topics. Watch this space and check out our new
  44. Free lobby tour on the EU's deregulation frenzy Join us for a free lobby tour of Brussels on 16th March at 5pm 09.03.2026 The European Commission’s deregulation frenzy means attacks on labour rights, climate policies, nature protection, public health. Join us if you want to know more! Sign in: ceo@c
  45. Lobbying the EU Watchdog organisations issue call to withdraw Aura Salla’s appointment as Digital Omnibus rapporteur 25.02.2026 Aura Salla, a former Meta lobbyist who is now an MEP, was appointed rapporteur of the Digital Omnibus. In an open letter, seven watchdog organisations are calling on the IT
  46. Climate The ‘Clean’ Industrial Deal: a year of dirty lobbying 24.02.2026 CEO looked at lobby meetings on the EU's flagship Clean Industrial deal since it was announced a year ago. Dirty industry dominated.
  47. In memory of Susan George 19.02.2026 The world has lost an important voice committed to social justice and democracy. Susan George was an invaluable author and activist. We at CEO have lost a staunch ally and a dear friend.
  48. Behind the chemical industry lobby blitz to undermine EU safety Op ed in EU Observer and Apache 16.02.2026 Harmful chemicals in babies’ pacifiers. ‘Forever chemicals’ / PFAS in dental floss. Known carcinogens in lipstick lids. These are just three examples of toxic chemicals in everyday products tha
  49. REACHing out Industry’s 2025 lobby blitz to undermine chemicals policy reform 11.02.2026 Industry’s spin and privileged access to the highest levels of the Commission, alongside the current EU hostility to new green rules and mania for deregulation, appear to have fatally undermined a key European G
  50. Lobbying the EU Trade union and NGO coalition calls out corporate "shadow roadmap" dictating EU agenda 10.02.2026 A coalition of major civil society and trade union organisations has issued a joint declaration to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, stating that the EU Commission is p
  51. Lobbying the EU Addicted to the algorithm How Big Tech lobbies to keep us hooked on social media 05.02.2026 As the EU prepares the Digital Fairness Act to tackle the addictive nature of social media design, big tech aggressively protects its business models. With Trumpists and far-right allies likel
  52. Food & agriculture The Pollution Playbook How industry blocks regulation of toxic chemicals 02.02.2026 Together with the Center for International Environmental Law, we expose the scientific deception by chemicals industry which is delaying or derailing regulation to protect health and the environmen
  53. Climate Dissecting deregulation A series of cartoons 22.01.2026 The EU Commission is taking a political chainsaw to hard won social, environmental, and digital protections. Check out our new cartoons
  54. Lobbying the EU Article by article, how Big Tech shaped the EU’s roll-back of digital rights 14.01.2026 In a new analysis we trace Big Tech's fingerprints on the Digital Omnibus proposals - a major deregulation of EU digital laws including the GDPR and the AI Act. They are helped in this attempt by
  55. Forever-chemical firms continue forever EU lobbying Op ed in EU Observer 14.01.2026 It's been exactly a year since the revelations of the Forever Lobbying Project about both the devastating impacts of forever chemicals (or PFAS), and the corporate influence campaign that has kept these harmful subst

2025 69

  1. Food & agriculture Pesticide lobby instrumentalising farmer protests in its attack on EU health regulations 14.12.2025 The pesticide lobby is opportunistically planning to use farmers’ protests, in order to create political momentum to slash EU safety rules for its products. But the free trade deal
  2. Climate The climate needs a fair, fast and funded fossil fuel phase-out, so why did EU governments roll out the red carpet for the oil and gas industry at COP30? 10.12.2025 There was genuine hope that this year’s UN climate talks in Brazil could deliver a roadmap towards a fair, fast and funded foss
  3. Climate Behind the scenes: The scramble for hydrogen in South Africa New episode of EU Watchdog Radio 10.12.2025 Check out our new podcast episode to get all the tea behind the making of our new documentary "The scramble for hydrogen for South Africa".
  4. Food & agriculture Take action against food & feed Omnibus: Stand up for pesticide safeguards Food and feed omnibus, another corporate handout 09.12.2025 On 16 December the European Commission will publish yet another Omnibus proposal, on food and feed safety. A leaked version showed a horrific plan
  5. Climate Mapping the money behind carbon capture Public subsidies and industry ties 04.12.2025 New research by Corporate Europe Observatory and Oil Change International shows that Big Polluters have captured €17 billion in public subsidies for failed carbon capture technology – because fossil fuel lo
  6. Climate Our new film is out: The scramble for hydrogen in South Africa A documentary on how frontline communities are impacted by the EU’s green extractivism 04.12.2025 Watch our new documentary on-line or host a screening near you
  7. Climate Tell the EU: No to Green Hydrogen Imports 27.11.2025 More than 130 civil society organisations call on the EU to scrap its green green hydrogen import plans.
  8. Lobbying the EU Boycott the EP’s Scrutiny Working Group on NGOs 19.11.2025 CEO joins 30+ organisations in a letter to the leadership of the four main democratic political groups this week to express their grave concerns regarding the newly created Scrutiny Working Group on NGOs.
  9. Lobbying the EU Preparing a roll-back of digital rights: Commission's secretive meetings with industry 19.11.2025 The European Commission is undertaking an unprecedented roll-back of digital rights. In secretive meetings, the Commission has given privileged access to tech lobbyists to shape its prop
  10. Climate Fossil fuel lobbyists flood COP30 climate talks in Brazil coal, oil and gas lobby enjoy largest ever attendance share 14.11.2025 With one in every 25 COP30 attendees a fossil fuel lobbyist, massive industry presence intensifies calls to protect climate negotiations from corporate capture.
  11. There are now more Big Tech lobbyists than MEPs New episode of EU Watchdog Radio 12.11.2025 Do you know how much money Big Tech is spending on lobbying in Brussels? How has this amount been increasing? On what is the money being funnelled to and what can we do about it? Listen to our new episode to
  12. Climate Bayer in Brazil - big polluter, big lobby spender Sponsoring COP30 to greenwash toxic agribusiness model 11.11.2025 For agrochemical giant Bayer the COP30 climate conference in Brazil is a golden opportunity to greenwash its image. And it is willing to spend a lot of money to capitalise on t
  13. Food & agriculture Return to sender: Videos from the campaign 05.11.2025 Europe bans toxic pesticides… but exports them abroad! The End Toxic Pesticide Trade Coalition decided to send them back to the European Commission! Watch all the videos here.
  14. Climate The Dirty Industrial Deal FAQs Part IV: Hydrogen & Carbon Capture A low-down on the EU’s not-so-Clean Industrial Deal 04.11.2025 The Clean Industrial Deal is the EU Commission’s flagship policy – but despite the name, it’s definitely not clean. This series will guide you through the basics w
  15. Lobbying the EU Big Tech lobby budgets hit record levels 29.10.2025 New figures show that the digital industry as a whole is now spending €151 million a year on lobbying the EU, a major increase to what was already considerable firepower.
  16. Why is the EU operating a politics of secrecy on chemical safety? Op ed in EU Observer 20.10.2025 While four out five Europeans are worried about the impact of harmful chemicals on their health and the environment, the EU Commission is keeping the public in the dark over lobby battles to regulate to
  17. Climate The Scramble for Hydrogen in South Africa - Boegoebaai Case Study: Interconnected fights against oil, gas and green hydrogen 14.10.2025 A case study on how frontline communities near Boegoebaai are impacted by the EU’s green extractivism
  18. Climate The Scramble for Hydrogen in South Africa - The Vaal Triangle Case Study: Greenwashing a polluting monster from Apartheid times 14.10.2025 A case study on how frontline communities in the Vaal Triangle are impacted by the EU’s green extractivism
  19. Climate 225+ organisations call for Big Polluters to be kicked out of COP30 01.10.2025 Over 225 organizations, including CEO, demand: "Kick Big Polluters Out, Don't Invite Them to the COP30 Table!"
  20. Food & agriculture Tell the Commission: no weakening of rules on food and feed safety, pesticides 01.10.2025 Yet another Omnibus proposal has been announced in a ‘call for evidence’ by the Commission, to “reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens while maintaining high standards”, and this time the targ
  21. Food & agriculture Patented and unlabeled GM crops: Dutch Government lobbying to scrap biotech rules 24.09.2025 The Dutch Government is actively lobbying to scrap rules for new GM crops, which will leave consumers in the dark, undermine independent breeders, and make them and farmers even more depen
  22. Food & agriculture UN report slams global corporate capture of food systems 23.09.2025 An important new UN report shows how a handful of mega-corporations control the global food system, with devastating consequences for food security and inflation; climate change and biodiversity; and human rights
  23. Lobbying the EU Not that kind of Europe, please 18.09.2025 We need civic involvement to rid Brussels of the deregulation mania that dominates the current agenda, putting people and planet in peril. Op ed by Kenneth Haar.
  24. Free lobby tour on the EU's deregulation wave Join us for a free lobby tour of Brussels on 17th September at 5h30pm 15.09.2025
  25. EU verzwakt regels die mensen en milieu beschermen 470 maatschappelijk middenveld, vakbonden en publieke belangengroepen verklaren aan voorzitter Von der Leyen, de Europese commissarissen en de EU-lidstaten dat onze rechten, onze planeet, onze gezondheid en ons rechtssysteem niet te koop zijn. 08.09
  26. Lobbying the EU A social dumping disaster? EU’s ‘ 28th Regime’ plans could help corporations bypass member state rules 05.09.2025 In the name of competitiveness, corporate lobby groups are promoting a radical plan to create an EU-level ‘28th regime’ of parallel, weaker rules. This could help corpora
  27. The EU weakens the rules that safeguard people and the environment 470 civil society, trade unions and public interest groups tell President von der Leyen, European Commissioners and EU Member States that our rights, planet, health and justice are not for sale 05.09.2025
  28. Lobbying the EU How trade tariffs and deregulation go hand in hand New episode of EU Watchdog Radio 23.07.2025 Listen to the brand new podcast episode, where Kenneth Haar discusses the link between the announced trade tariffs from the USA to the EU and deregulation.
  29. Lobbying the EU Complaint results in €47 million-worth of changes to EU lobby register declarations 17.07.2025 Nestlé and Yara are among the big corporate interests that have had to increase their lobby register declarations. Other registrants have been removed for massively over-reporting their EU
  30. A good day for chemical polluters; a bad day for people and environment Reaction to the Chemicals Industry Action Plan 08.07.2025 Today’s announcements from the European Commission on chemicals have made this a good day for polluters and a bad day for people and environment.
  31. EU’s AI rules set to be handed on a silver plate to corporate lobbyists 03.07.2025 Today, the EU’s AI Office is set to present the final version of the voluntary Code of Practice on general-purpose AI. The Code aims to regulate the most advanced AI models to prevent fundamental rights abuses and cop
  32. Lobbying the EU A crash course on the EU’s deregulation wave 01.07.2025 The European Commission’s deregulation wave means attacks on labour rights, climate policies, nature protection, public health, and more. We explain the basic scheme behind this wave of destruction – and reveal the reality behin
  33. Climate The Dirty Industrial Deal FAQs part III: Chemicals A low-down on the EU’s not-so-Clean Industrial Deal 30.06.2025 The Clean Industrial Deal is the EU Commission’s flagship policy – but despite the name, it’s definitely not clean. This series will guide you through the basics with our answers
  34. Climate The EU's dirty hydrogen push in South Africa - revealed 30.06.2025 EU politicians are presenting green hydrogen as a win-win fuel, claiming it will lead to low-carbon industrialisation in the Global South while decarbonising economies in Europe.
  35. Food & agriculture Double standards violate human rights EU should keep its promise and end toxic trade in banned pesticides 24.06.2025 Where the world is on fire with various wars, the EU is continuing an invisible chemical war by continuing its massive exports of banned, toxic pesticides to all co
  36. Climate The Dirty Industrial Deal FAQs Part II: Gas imports & energy prices A low-down on the EU’s not-so-Clean Industrial Deal 12.06.2025 The Clean Industrial Deal is the EU Commission’s flagship policy – but despite the name, it’s definitely not clean. This series will guide you through the basics
  37. 2024 Annual Review 10.06.2025
  38. Lobbying the EU EU Commission tightens firewall enforcement against tobacco lobbyists 30.05.2025 Corporate Europe Observatory welcomes the EU’s tightening of enforcement of UN rules for a firewall between decision-makers, and tobacco lobbyists. But we also explore possible loopholes and urge robust
  39. Climate The Dirty Industrial Deal FAQs Part I: Competitiveness A low-down on the EU’s not so-Clean Industrial Deal 29.05.2025 The Clean Industrial Deal is the EU Commission’s flagship policy – but despite the name, it’s definitely not clean. This series will guide you through the basics with our ans
  40. New GMOs: 49 Public interest groups call for freedom of choice, which industry wants to eliminate 20.05.2025 The agribusiness lobby is pushing the European institutions to remove the freedom to choose for consumers when it comes to GMOs, by preventing mandatory labelling new GM products, in a far re
  41. 'Forever chemicals' are everywhere: so why isn’t the EU banning them all? EU Observer op ed 16.05.2025 The Commission is talking up a ban on the consumer uses of forever chemicals. This might sound good in theory, but it would fail to effectively tackle PFAS pollution – and hand a major lobby win to
  42. New GMOs deregulated: The wet dream of the biotech industry coming true New episode of EU Watchdog Radio 14.05.2025 Listen to our new podcast episode, where Nina Holland talks about the intense lobby battle that the biotech industry has been waging to get its new generation of genetic modification t
  43. Persistent pollution 10 reasons why a ban only on PFAS in consumer products won’t cut it 13.05.2025 PFAS ‘forever pollution’ is widespread across Europe, notably in drinking water and citizens’ blood. Check out our briefing and cartoons to find out why the Commission’s stated priority to ban PFAS in
  44. Trade Trump’s trade war against protective rules 08.05.2025 Supermarkets full of chlorinated chicken, free rein for Big Tech, PFAS forever? These are just some of the Trump administrations trade demands; and the risk that the EU will cave in to some is more likely than meets the eye.
  45. Food & agriculture No Vision Left EU Strategic Dialogue on agriculture undermined by agribusiness 07.05.2025 European agriculture and food policies are once again at a crossroads, and at the centre of heated debate. In September 2024 Ursula von der Leyen launched the report of the ‘Strategic Dialogu
  46. Lobbying the EU Coded for privileged access How Big Tech weakens rules on advanced AI 30.04.2025 The EU is developing a Code of Practice to govern general purpose AI, as part of the implementation of the AI Act. But Big Tech has heavily influenced the process to successfully weaken the Code.
  47. Food & agriculture Stop the deregulation of new GMOs! Write to decision makers now 24.04.2025 The EU is planning to scrap safety and consumer choice rules for new GMOs, also referred to as ‘new genomic techniques’. If the regulation goes through, there would be no more prior safety checks, mandatory
  48. Food & agriculture No impunity for agrochemical corporations Open Letter to Bayer's shareholders 23.04.2025 A day before the Bayer Annual Shareholders meeting (AGM) over 100 organisations from the EU, US and around the world - uniting consumers, farmers, academics, human rights defenders, environmen
  49. Other battles Why Progressives Must Organise to Stop the EU’s Deregulation Wave 09.04.2025 Commission President von der Leyen has embarked on a radical deregulation campaign, with the clear intention to dismantle rules that business lobbies dislike, including social and environmental standards. The
  50. EU Transparency Register secretariat confirms investigation into MCC Brussels' funding secrecy 08.04.2025 The EU Transparency Register secretariat has confirmed that CEO's complaint against MCC Brussels is admissible and that they have opened an investigation. MCC Brussels, a far right 'think tank'
  51. Lobbying the EU Opaque US anti-tax foundation to advise EU Commission 01.04.2025 A US think tank that recently opened a Brussels office to lobby for aggressively lower taxes is received with open arms by the Commission. But who is behind the organisation, and who funds it? The Transparency Register
  52. From Huaweigate to the AI Act: how to bake bias in New episode of EU Watchdog Radio 21.03.2025 Check out our brand new podcast episode about the recent lobbying scandal involving Huawei, and how Big Tech is writing the rules that will govern their own AI products, particularly the standards it will
  53. Climate EU Clean Industrial Deal in action opening floodgates to dirty hydrogen from fossil fuels 20.03.2025 Our new investigation reveals how fossil fuel giants have been lobbying to skew emission accounting models, allowing hydrogen made from fossil gas to be misleadingly labelled as 'clean’. This
  54. Lobbying the EU False alarm: fake news and the right fuel attack on NGOs 18.03.2025 Documents show the European Commission initiated its attacks on civil society funding due to pressure from right wing MEPs early 2024, even if the institution must have known their arguments were false. These attacks
  55. Climate We say No to the South H2 Corridor Joint Statement 17.03.2025 As the EU Energy Council meets to discuss energy security and ‘critical infrastructure,’ 87 organisations release a statement opposing the South H2 Corridor. The planned 3,300 km hydrogen pipeline from North Africa to Germany via
  56. Food & agriculture New GMOs deregulated 14.03.2025 EU countries bring deregulation of new GMOs one step closer - but fight not over yet
  57. EIB in focus: Rethinking Europe's financial future with Yanis Varoufakis New episode of EU Watchdog Radio 03.03.2025 The EU’s financial system operates in the shadows, with institutions like the European Investment Bank (EIB) wielding immense financial power, but who actually benefits?
  58. Finance The EU’s lobby league table Tech, Banking, Energy, Chemicals dominate 24.02.2025 Corporate Europe Observatory and LobbyControl reveal the sheer corporate lobby firepower in the EU, analysed by sector. Big Tech, Energy, Banking, and Chemicals dominate.
  59. Lobbying the EU CEO submits official complaint against Orban thinktank's lobbying secrecy 21.02.2025 CEO has submitted a formal complaint to the EU Transparency Register secretariat against the Orban-linked thinktank MCC Brussels for failing to disclose financial information, including funding sourc
  60. Food & agriculture Vision for Agriculture backtracks on green commitments, serves corporate interests 19.02.2025 The ‘Vision for Agriculture & Food – Shaping together an attractive farming & agri-food sector for future generations’, presented today by commissioner Hansen is a clear backtracking of t
  61. Lobbying the EU EU Commission inaction re tobacco industry interference 13.02.2025 CEO has written to EU Commissioner Šefčovič to emphasize the critical importance of effectively implementing Article 5.3 of the UN tobacco treaty (FCTC) to protect EU decision-making against tobacco industry interfere
  62. Food & agriculture 200+ Organisations oppose deregulation of New GMOs New Polish proposal threatens environment, consumer rights 11.02.2025 Over 200 organisations express their fierce opposition to a deregulation proposal on new GMOs in a joint statement released today.
  63. Lobbying the EU European right-wing on a mission to silence NGOs 28.01.2025 A no-nonsense guide to the disinformation underpinning the conservative campaign to shrink political and democratic space for critical NGOs. Today, it is about stopping EU-funding, but they want more than that.
  64. Combating PFAS: "The European Union has a unique opportunity to act" A comment piece in Le Monde 20.01.2025 Check out this comment piece in Le Monde and the list of civil society groups and PFAS-affected communities from across Europe which have endorsed it.
  65. Food & agriculture A victory for the bees? New ECJ ruling sheds light on secret EU pesticide deliberations 20.01.2025 When it comes to EU decision-making on which pesticides to authorise or ban, there should be a lot more transparency, according to a landmark ruling of the European Court of Justice
  66. The corporate fight against PFAS restriction New episode of EU Watchdog Radio 16.01.2025 What does a lipstick, a non-stick frying pan and Scotchgard have in common? Find out in this brand new episode, where we speak to Vicky Cann author of the report "Chemical reaction - Inside the corporate fight a
  67. Chemical reaction Inside the corporate fight against the EU’s PFAS restriction 14.01.2025 The proposal to restrict PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ is at serious risk of being hijacked by corporate lobbying, says a new CEO report. Find out more, including about the Forever Lobbying Project, a ground-breakin
  68. Joint letter – Ursula von der Leyen: Protect people, nature, and democracy in EU regulations 13.01.2025 Almost 270 civil society organisations, trade unions, consumer groups, farmers organisations, civil rights groups and environmental organisations representing millions of citizens, call on Europea
  69. Lobbying the EU Bias baked in How Big Tech sets its own AI standards 09.01.2025 Setting ‘harmonised standards’ for artificial intelligence is a crucial element of the EU’s AI Act. But who develops these standards? CEO reveals how Europe’s standard-setting bodies dealing with AI are heavily skewed to

2024 69

  1. Meet the Big Meat Lobby New episode of EU Watchdog Radio 31.12.2024 In this last episode of EU watchdog radio of 2024 we dive into the topic of the global power of the Big Meat lobby and how two dozen ultra rich companies dominate the political and policy agenda including at the FAO.
  2. Lobbying the EU Commission’s ‘NGO gag order’ will boost corporate lobby power 17.12.2024 The Commission’s new guidelines for funding for NGOs are designed to silence critical voices, and they will boost the dominance of corporate lobby groups in EU decision-making.
  3. Lobbying the EU Defunding NGOs that lobby the EU will be profoundly undemocratic 16.12.2024 Two weeks ago ‘Orbanesque emails’ suddenly started landing in the inboxes of dozens of Brussels-based green NGOs.
  4. Climate The scramble for hydrogen in South Africa How frontline communities are impacted by the EU’s green extractivism 05.12.2024 Europe’s scramble for green hydrogen in South Africa will have a devastating impact on local communities, the very same ones whose voices are being ignored by EU policy
  5. Climate Just how many fossil-fuel lobbyists did the EU take to COP29? 28.11.2024 COP29 in Baku, which finished last week, was crawling with fossil-fuel lobbyists determined to eke out profits for as long as possible. Shockingly, for a second year running, it is European governments that have facilit
  6. Lobbying the EU 16 steps towards deregulation A guide to how the new Commission’s deregulation tools can undermine the public interest 21.11.2024 Under the slogan of ‘competitiveness’, the new Commission will see it as their main task to reduce the ‘regulatory burden’. What they are gearing up to is
  7. Inaction kills - The EU, Gaza, and the arms industry New episode of EU Watchdog Radio 19.11.2024 On 28 October, South Africa submitted a detailed memorial against Israel to the International Court of Justice, seeking to establish that Israel's military actions in Gaza amount to genoc1de. Marcella Vi
  8. Climate Fossil fuel lobbyists eclipse delegations from most climate vulnerable nations at COP29 climate talks Industry influx escalates call to protect talks from Big Polluters 15.11.2024 At least 1773 fossil fuel lobbyists have been granted access to COP29, underscoring an outsized polluter presenc
  9. Podcast: COP29 HyCOPrisy New episode of EU Watchdog Radio 14.11.2024 Brand new episode into the way the EU is trying to justify pushing Azerbaijan to increase its gas by claiming it is lower carbon. How can gas be lower carbon? It sounds absurd, but you've read it right! Pascoe Sabido explains all a
  10. Climate COP29 HyCOPrisy How Europe is using the climate summit to rebrand Azerbaijan’s 'sustainable' gas 11.11.2024 After pressuring Azerbaijan to up gas production for export, the EU is using COP29 to greenwash the fossil fuel and its own climate image.
  11. Lobbying the EU Von der Leyen's 'mission letters' let slip deregulation agenda of next commissioners 31.10.2024 MEPs need to challenge the deregulation machine EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has set in motion. The commission is already rolling back previous commitments on phasing out t
  12. Uncovering Big Tech's hidden network Undisclosed affiliations distort Digital Market Act’s public workshops 29.10.2024 In March 2024, the EU Commission set up a series of public workshops to test Big Tech' compliance with the Digital Markets Act. Research by CEO, LobbyControl and SOMO now shows that
  13. How Big Tech's revolving doors erode EU antitrust laws 28.10.2024 Big Tech is facing increasing attempts to challenge its monopolistic power. But Big Tech itself, as well as the law firms defending these behemoths from antitrust investigations, are recruiting former regulators through the revolving
  14. Food & agriculture Scandal exposed: targeted undermining of the farm to fork strategy by US PR firms An open letter to the EP from CSOs 22.10.2024 We, as a network of NGOs working on reducing the use and negative impacts of pesticides and genetically engineered organisms on biodiversity and human he
  15. Lobbying the EU Orbán’s oil funded thinktank is murky on transparency 18.10.2024 As a network of Hungarian organisations continues to try to mainstream Orbán's far right policies in Europe, his think tank MCC Brussels – financed by Russian oil earnings – has so far managed to avoid transparency over
  16. Climate Carbon capture doesn't work — yet the EU is going for it 11.10.2024 The fossil fuel industry, and its army of lobbyists, are keen to keep emissions burning — and business as usual — by capturing carbon. Sounds deceptively simple.
  17. Climate The Carbon Coup revisited The little-known ‘forum’ locking Europe into a fossil fuelled future 09.10.2024 As the ICM Forum gears up to meet in Pau, France, 10-11 October, find out how the European Commission is allowing this close-knit club of the fossil fuel industry and other big polluters
  18. Lobbying the EU The EU's deregulation frenzy: what's at stake? New episode of EU Watchdog Radio 07.10.2024 Have you ever heard of the concept of 'double deregulation'? If you think it has nothing to do with you and will never impact your life, listen to our new podcast episode where we show it's all
  19. Food & agriculture Bayer’s toxic trails Market power, monopolies, and the global lobbying of an agrochemical giant 23.09.2024 Corporate Europe Observatory takes a deep dive into the German agrochemical giant Bayer. Whether it’s over glyphosate, GMOs, or global warming, we follow the company’s trail
  20. Climate EU Ombudsman ruling shows gas industry advisory group not fit for purpose - time to scrap it? 20.09.2024 The European Ombudsman is “not convinced” at the excuses given by the EU Energy Platform to exclude non-corporate members from its controversial Industry Advisory Group (IAG), and calls o
  21. Other battles EU Ombudsman demands a full lobby ban for Commission’s Regulatory Scrutiny Board 17.09.2024 The European Ombudsman has called for a full ban on meetings with lobbyists by members of the European Commission’s Regulatory Scrutiny Board, in response to a March 2023 complaint from Corporat
  22. Lobbying the EU Revolving doors and far-right ties Controversial figures among new EU Commission nominees 17.09.2024 We have reviewed the portfolios of the Commissioners-designate and found cases of revolving-door conflicts of interest and far-right affiliations that raise concerns.
  23. Lobbying the EU 'Competitiveness': inside the troubling corporate blueprint for the coming Commission 16.09.2024 ‘Competitiveness’ appears to be the uncontested yardstick for the EU, based on the Commission’s plans for the next five years. This is a big win for corporate lobby groups and their conce
  24. Maria Luís Albuquerque 16.09.2024
  25. Jozef Síkela 16.09.2024
  26. Wopke Hoekstra 16.09.2024
  27. Ekaterina Zaharieva 16.09.2024
  28. Apostolos Tzitzikostas 16.09.2024
  29. Raffaele Fitto 16.09.2024
  30. Olivér Várhelyi 16.09.2024
  31. Marta Kos 16.09.2024
  32. Food & agriculture A new agri mega merger, where are political rightwingers when farmers need them? 05.09.2024 While most people were sunbathing or watching the Olympic games, the merger between Bunge and Viterra received a green light from the European Commission which is a huge step in having appr
  33. Lobbying the EU Open Letter to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen High time to act on enforcing lobbying rules 15.07.2024 Transparency watchdogs LobbyControl, Transparency International, The Good Lobby, and Corporate Europe Observatory sent an open letter to President von der Leyen demandi
  34. Lobbying the EU Discrimination is not a fundamental freedom Do not let US far right lobby groups pervert the meaning of human rights 05.07.2024 A reply to the Alliance Defending Freedom - an anti-abortionist organisation that defends hate speech with a strong presence on the Brussels lobbying stage.
  35. Lobbying the EU Polluters put before people in EU's 'industrial deal' 01.07.2024 In February 2024, big polluting corporations, led by the chemicals lobby group CEFIC, launched the 'EU Industrial Deal', or 'Antwerp Declaration', which pushes for business-friendly EU decision-making, deregulation of t
  36. Climate EU civil society says "It's time to prioritise needs of people and the environment" 120 organisations sign letter to EU and member state leaders 26.06.2024 As EU leaders meet at tomorrow's European Council summit, 120 civil society organisations demand they prioritise the needs of people and
  37. Lobbying the EU The Alliance Attacking Freedom EU Watchdog Radio Episode 52 10.06.2024 During the last EU legislature, the rise of far-right forces has come hand in hand with the stigmatisation, harassment, and violence against women and LGBTQI+ people. Find out more about the North American ultra c
  38. Food & agriculture How did political groups in the EP vote on pesticide reduction? These score cards show the good and the bad 29.05.2024 Ahead of the EU elections, PAN Europe, Friends of the Earth Europe, and Corporate Europe Observatory present a set of voting score cards by EU political group on
  39. Dissecting the Antwerp Declaration A series of cartoons 24.05.2024 Check our our cartoons by @CartoonRalph to dissect the industry-derived Antwerp Declaration
  40. Lobbying the EU Who are the Alliance Defending Freedom and why are they lobbying Brussels? 21.05.2024 The European Parliament may be about to change radically after the 9 June elections. Some projections predict a new majority of the right and far right: the conservative European People’s Party grou
  41. Bolt’s shady lobbying on the Platform Work Directive, exposed by internal documents, causes public outcry in Estonia 21.05.2024 Internal documents obtained by Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) show that extremely close coordination took place between gig economy companies and the Estonian governmen
  42. Food & agriculture DEADLY EXPORTS The chemical industry lobbies to keep exporting even the most dangerous, EU-banned chemicals 20.05.2024 The European Commission pledged to address one of the most unethical trading practices in the EU: the export of banned chemicals to third countries. Our new repor
  43. Lobbying the EU Draghi's report lacks transparency and risks capture by big business 14.05.2024 The pathway to a prosperous, resilient, dynamic, innovative and democratic European economy lies in pursuing economic balance and diversity rather than monopoly.
  44. What does it have to do with the EU elections? Watch our new animation series debunking big EU files 14.05.2024 We selected seven key case studies and turned them into short animations showing the relevance of EU decision making.
  45. Lobbying the EU The Alliance Attacking Freedom How Trump’s troops are attacking gender rights and underpinning the far right in Europe - the case of the Alliance Defending Freedom. 13.05.2024 How Trump’s troops are attacking gender rights and underpinning the far right in Europe - the case of the Al
  46. Climate How a fossil-fuel-dominated group you’ve never heard of secured a ‘carbon coup’ in Europe 13.05.2024 What sounds like a better choice: pursuing rational climate policy in the face of an increasingly urgent crisis? Or giving a golden ticket to the fossil fuel industry to continue extracting o
  47. Lobbying the EU Open letter to Mario Draghi and Ursula von der Leyen on Mario Draghi's competitiveness report 08.05.2024 Thirteen organisations have sent an open letter to Ursula von der Leyen and Mario Draghi expressing their concerns about the impacts of Draghi's competitiveness report on the next
  48. Climate The Carbon Coup How corporate capture is locking Europe into a fossil-fuelled future 29.04.2024 The CCUS Forum, a little known event with no legitimacy and filled to the brim with fossil fuel polluters has largely been steering regulation and public funding for a risky, costly, and repeatedl
  49. Climate We won, EU withdraws from Energy Charter Treaty! EU Watchdog Radio Episode 51 24.04.2024 Withdrawal from the ECT should be just the first step towards tackling climate change and ecosystem breakdown. Soon after it, a firewall between the dirty energy lobbyists and political decision-making s
  50. Climate Milestone win as EU withdraws from climate-wrecking Energy Charter Treaty 23.04.2024 Six years ago we sounded the alarm on the Energy Charter Treaty with an in-depth report and campaign showing how it is a serious block to climate action. In a milestone moment we celebrate that the EU has no
  51. Food & agriculture Report on EU pesticides export ban: what could be the consequences? 19.04.2024 A coalition of civil society, including CEO, has produced a new report on the potential impacts of the proposal of an export ban on chemical already forbidden in the EU. Hint: only old cheap molecules w
  52. Climate No gala for the gas lobby EU Watchdog Radio Episode 50 16.04.2024 For the first time in seventeen years, the European Gas Conference was cancelled—or, at least, postponed. However, this did not stop us!
  53. Lobbying the EU Piepergate: VDL propels anti-regulation zealot into a major new Commission job 03.04.2024 This appointment puts Markus Pieper, with a history of deregulatory zeal, fossil-friendly politics, attacking NGOs, and boosting corporate lobbying influence, into a powerful new role where he c
  54. Climate No gala for gas Annual jamboree postponed 29.03.2024 The European Gas Conference in Vienna was postponed in anticipation of climate-justice protests, but the industry agenda behind it is as dangerous as ever.
  55. REACH regulation - EU Commission's failure to share full documents constitutes double-maladministration 18.03.2024 The European Ombudsman confirmed that the European Commission’s failure to share full documents relating to the (proposed and now postponed) revision of the REACH regulation constitutes
  56. Lobbying the EU Trade unions and civil society call for comprehensive ban on Amazon lobbying in the European Parliament 15.03.2024 Following the European Parliament’s decision to withdraw Amazon’s lobbying badges on 27 February, European trade unions and civil society call for a “comprehensive, tran
  57. Trojan horses: how European startups teamed up with Big Tech to gut the AI Act 11.03.2024 The European Parliament is set to approve the Artificial Intelligence Act on 13 March 2024. New research reveals how European startups Mistral AI and Aleph Alpha, together with Big Tech, successfully captured t
  58. Lobbying the EU CEO launches a new podcast series 23.04.2024 We'll take you thought different case studies from artificial intelligence to climate change, agriculture to lobbying, to discuss "What is going wrong and how to put it right?". You can listen to it here!
  59. Lobbying the EU A victory for workers everywhere – European trade unions and civil society welcome decision on Amazon EU lobby ban 01.03.2024 Weeks after Amazon workers and civil society allies demanded an Amazon ban from European institutions, the European Parliament will be withdrawing Amazon’s lo
  60. Food & agriculture Bayer and Monsanto Merger: what role did revolving doors play? 26.02.2024 After the merger of Bayer and Monsanto, a DG Competition team member became the VP of Compass Lexecon, a consultancy firm involved in the merger process, working on behalf of German chemical giant BASF, whic
  61. Climate Corporate capture won’t solve environmental crises An open letter to Belgian PM De Croo from CSOs 20.02.2024 As Prime Minister De Croo and President von der Leyen hobnob with the leaders of big business at BASF Antwerp, 70+ NGOs have demanded an end to privileged access for polluting industr
  62. 'Crying wolf' win for chemicals lobby at Antwerp EU meeting 20.02.2024 EU politicians will cosy up with Big Toxics at a secretive event on 20 February to discuss a new 'European Industrial Deal' — a blatant showcase of corporate capture and an attempt to shift the political agenda in a more profit-m
  63. Crying wolf pays off for chemicals industry 19.02.2024 As politicians get ready to cosy up with Big Toxics at a private event in a chemicals factory to discuss a new 'European Industrial Deal', Corporate Europe Observatory looks at how the Green Deal's proposals to reduce and replace toxic substance
  64. Lobbying the EU Step out: time to ban Amazon lobbyists from the European Parliament EU Watchdog Radio Episode 49 12.02.2024 Trade unions and civil society back MEPs' call to ban Amazon lobbyists from European Parliament. This is big news and Bram Vranken explains how we got here.
  65. Food & agriculture The MEPs' vote on new GMOs that's a gift to corporations 07.02.2024 On Wednesday (7 February) MEPs will vote in the Strasbourg plenary on a proposal that would scrap any safety checks for GMOs (NGTs), as well as labelling and traceability requirements. Many of these MEPs, I suspec
  66. How the chemical-industry lobby pushes 'safe use' exemptions 25.01.2024 The Commission may shortly publish its thinking on 'essential use', an important component of the Green Deal's strategy on chemicals. This will help determine whether industry can carry on contaminating consumer products with ha
  67. How “essential” are hazardous substances? Industry is fighting to weaken new tool aimed at protecting health and ecosystems 24.01.2024 New evidence reveals how Big Toxics and its allies have used misleading narratives to try to weaken the concept of ‘essential use’, to create regulatory loopholes fo
  68. Food & agriculture CEO makes new complaint about unregistered industry lobbying 15.01.2024 Following a report by DeSmog, Corporate Europe Observatory has today demanded an investigation into unregistered influencing activity by European Livestock Voice (ELV).
  69. Food & agriculture Take action! New GMOs need to stay checked for safety and labelled 15.01.2024 The European Parliament (and the EU member states' governments) is debating a new law for new GMOs that would come down to a complete deregulation: no more safety checks, mandatory traceability, nor labe

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  1. Climate Decoding COP28 EU Watchdog Radio Episode 48 21.12.2023 Another year, another COP. Listen to our new podcast episode of EU Watchdog Radio, where Pascoe Sabido spills the tea of what went down in Dubai.
  2. Lobbying the EU Business lobby ignores greedflation, promotes wage suppression 20.12.2023 During the cost-of-living crisis the employers’ organisation BusinessEurope has turned a blind eye to the link between industry's super profits and inflation. Their refrain is that wage moderation is the key to
  3. Climate COP28 facilitates fossil fuel frenzy Wrap-up blog from UN climate summit 19.12.2023 Despite the hailed deal to “transition away from fossil fuels”, the 2023 UN climate summit’s text has the oily fingerprints of the fossil fuel lobby all over it. COP28 is more likely to facilitate a fossil fu
  4. Climate COP28: an historic outcome, but for whom? 18.12.2023 To make the COP28 outcome truly “historic”, we need to free the talks — and our political and economic systems — from the oily grip of the fossil fuel industry. Op-ed in Euronews.
  5. Climate Watch all our COP28 videos 18.12.2023 Here's a compilation of the videos we have produced for COP28, from myth busters to explanatory videos!
  6. Climate COP28 is running into overtime, but your time is up to deliver climate justice Statement from global climate justice groups 17.12.2023 As COP28 came to an end in Dubai, members of the Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice, including Corporate Europe Observatory, released a statement call
  7. Lobbying the EU Qatargate - one year later, what changed? EU Watchdog Radio Episode 47 09.12.2023 It's one year since the Qatargate corruption scandal exploded across the EU institutions and a good time to review if and how things have changed in the Brussels Bubble.
  8. Lobbying the EU Qatargate Everything you need to know about the scandal that rocked the European Parliament 09.12.2023 Everything you need to know about the Qatargate scandal that rocked the European Parliament and the wider issues that this debacle raises.
  9. Climate EU floods COP28 climate talks with fossil fuel lobbyists 07.12.2023 The European Union and its Member States have brought more than 130 fossil fuel lobbyists into COP28, according to new research by Corporate Europe Observatory, a member of the Kick Polluters Out Coalition.
  10. Gaza: Ceasefire now 07.12.2023 As the resumption of the offensive against Gaza begins, we share the global outcry against the murder and grave breaches of international human rights we are witnessing in Palestine.
  11. Climate Record number of fossil fuel lobbyists granted access to COP28 climate talks Industry influx escalates call to protect talks from Big Polluters 05.12.2023 At least 2456 fossil fuel lobbyists have been granted access to the COP28 summit in Dubai, signalling an unprecedented presence at crucia
  12. An EIB for the people EU Watchdog Radio Episode 46 05.12.2023 As the European Commission’s current mandate draws to a close, some Commissioner’s are contemplating their next moves.
  13. Food & agriculture Bayer, BASF lobby pushed to scrap safety rules on new GM crops – even if they increase pesticide use 05.12.2023 The biotech industry want GM herbicide-tolerant and insecticide-producing crops to be allowed into our fields without safety checks or labelling. The Commission jumped t
  14. Climate COP28 push for hydrogen a gift to the fossil fuel industry 30.11.2023 The EU and the COP28 summit host, the United Arab Emirates, in cahoots with Big Oil & Gas and global consultancies, have laid the groundwork for a hydrogen boost at the summit. A powerful smokescreen that could extend – an
  15. Food & agriculture Legal opinion on a Chemical Export Ban and compatibility with World Trade Organisation Rules 29.11.2023 By Andrea Hamann, Professor and expert on international dispute settlements, concludes that WTO rules do not pose a legal obstacle to an export ban on hazardous chemicals prohib
  16. Food & agriculture The two-year lobbying campaign to sabotage pesticide-reduction Read our latest OpEd published in EU Observer 27.11.2023 The severity of climate change and biodiversity decline are evident to many and 1.1 million people supported a European Citizens' Initiative calling for a very a
  17. Lobbying the EU Big Tech lobbying is derailing the AI Act Read our latest OpEd published in Social Europe 24.11.2023 Behind closed doors, the companies have fiercely lobbied the European Union to leave advanced artificial-intelligence systems unregulated.
  18. Amazon's lobbying satellites orbit EU policy-makers 24.11.2023 From workers' rights to data protection, environmental impact and abuses of dominance, the growing reach of Amazon is facing backlash. In response, the digital giant is ramping up its lobbying power in the EU and member states.
  19. Climate Long infographic The dirty truth about the EU’s hydrogen push 22.11.2023 Take a look at our long infographic based on our report "The dirty truth about the EU’s hydrogen push".
  20. Climate How the Aviation Lobby Got the European Commission to Derail Dutch Flight Reduction Plans 22.11.2023 Last week the Dutch government announced it was abandoing plans to reduce flight numbers at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport by 10 per cent. This reversal was the result of political pressure fro
  21. Climate Hoekstra’s inconvenient past a liability at COP28? EU Climate Commissioner’s links to big polluters raises questions about his independence at upcoming UN climate talks 22.11.2023 As EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra heads to COP28, new research by CEO shows why he is the perfect pick f
  22. Climate Fossil fuel lobbyists attend UN climate talks more than 7000 times Findings bolster case to kick Big Polluters out 21.11.2023 Fossil fuel lobbyists attended UN climate talks more than 7000 times over the past 20 years as part of decades-long campaign to influence climate action. The findings
  23. Food & agriculture Sabotaging EU Pesticide Reduction Law (SUR) Pesticide industry lobby's reckless assault on biodiversity and health 19.11.2023 Pesticide industry lobbies and their allies have waged a relentless attack on the Farm to Fork promise to cut pesticide use and harm in half by 2030. This
  24. Byte by byte How Big Tech undermined the AI Act 17.11.2023 Tech giants are receiving privileged and disproportionate access to senior European policymakers during the final stages of negotiating the AI Act. Fundamental rights and protections of copyright and the environment are being sacrificed for
  25. Food & agriculture Video: Big trouble with glyphosate 10.11.2023 Next week, the extention of the use of the herbicide glyphosate for 10 more years in the European Union will be voted. Will they get away with it?
  26. Tackling global plastic pollution... and plastic polluters 09.11.2023 As negotiators gather to discuss the Global Plastics Treaty, fossil fuel and plastics lobbyists oppose any deal that limits plastics production. But such limits are the only way to protect the health of humans, ecosystems, and the
  27. Climate European ombudsman opens case into fossil-fueled EU advisory group 09.11.2023 Following a complaint from Corporate Europe Observatory and Food and Water Action Europe, the European Ombudsman has announced an inquiry into the European Commission's creation of the EU Energy Platform Advisory G
  28. Other battles Blood on the Green Deal How the EU is boosting the mining and defence industries in the name of climate action 07.11.2023 The EU Critical Raw Materials Act, or CRMA, is in the final stages of its adoption. Unlike other flagship legislations under the 'Green Deal', which have been the s
  29. Climate People Over Polluters Infographics Infographics for social media 24.10.2023 Check out the new infographics that accompany the new People over Polluters Declaration from Fossil Free Politics.
  30. Climate People Over Polluters Declaration 100+ organisations call for Polluters Out, People in 24.10.2023 More than 100 organisations have joined the Fossil Free Politics call to overhaul our political system to ensure our decision makers work for the public good, not private corporations. This mean
  31. Climate Cold homes, hot profits How polluters persuade politicians to put profits before people 24.10.2023 From Rome to Prague, Brussels to London, politicians are welcoming fossil fuel companies as advisers instead of arsonists, failing to recognise their vested interests and their role in creating
  32. Climate The EU’s hydrogen plans are a dangerous distraction driven by corporate interests. Read our latest OpEd published in Euronews 13.10.2023 Over the past few years, hydrogen has been transformed into a cornerstone of EU energy policy. Yet, oil and gas majors are taking advantage of the EU’s unr
  33. Climate The dirty truth about the EU’s hydrogen push 03.10.2023 New infographics by CEO and WeSmellGas expose the dark side of the EU’s hydrogen craze – and the firepower of the corporate giants driving it. The EU is hyping hydrogen as the miracle that will cure our fossil fuel addiction. The truth
  34. Lobbying the EU Why EU Commission dumped Google's favourite consultant Read our joint op-ed with LobbyControl published in the EU Observer 03.10.2023 The European Commission dropped RBB Economics as its consultant this summer due to conflicting interests - but the Ombudsman had to step in for it to
  35. Climate 50 orgs say no to fossil fuel ally Hoekstra as EU Climate Commissioner. 28.09.2023 50 organisations have signed an open letter to the coordinators of the European Parliament Environment Committee, calling on them to reject the nomination of Dutch fossil fuel ally Wopke Hoekstra as the new Cl
  36. EU Ombudsman criticises Commission failure to disclose full REACH revision impact assessment 27.09.2023 The EU Ombudsman has found that it was “maladministration” when the EU Commission did not disclose the full impact assessment and associated Regulatory Scrutiny Board opinion on the upcoming REACH
  37. Which comes first - chemical-industry profits or health? Stricter European Union regulation of toxic chemicals is being jeopardised by corporate lobbying 25.09.2023 ‘Stop deindustrialisation!’ is the latest hyperbole from the German chemical-industry association in pushing back against more robust r
  38. Lobbying the EU BusinessEurope: the death star of corporate lobbying 20.09.2023 The association of European employers, BusinessEurope, is the most active and probably the most powerful lobby group in the EU institutions. Determined to see the EU adopt policies that defend profits over people and pla
  39. Lobbying the EU Lobbying power of Amazon, Google and Co. continues to grow Tech sector spends 113 million euros per year on lobbying in Brussels 08.09.2023 An updated study shows that Big Tech spends 113 million euros on lobbying in Brussels - a 16.5 per cent increase since 2021.
  40. Amid rising climate catastrophes, why is the EU putting an oil man in charge? Op-ed by Martha Myers 06.09.2023 At a time when the EU needs to be taking unprecedented action to tackle the climate crisis, Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen has shockingly nominated ex-Shell employee and well-kno
  41. Food & agriculture No political will to curb food speculation EU Watchdog Radio Episode 45 25.07.2023 In this new episode of EU Watchdog Radio, Hans van Scharen talks to UN rapporteur on the right to Food Michael Fakhri and Political scientist Yiorgos Vassalos.
  42. Are PFAS the new tobacco? The EU shouldn't listen to the chemicals industry when it comes to regulating PFAS 24.07.2023 The EU is proposing to phase out PFAS, the toxic ‘forever chemicals’ found in everything from frying pans to waterproof coats. But PFAS producers and their industry customers are f
  43. Lobbying the EU The EU's Single Market's obstacles to a just climate transition Op ed by Olivier Hoedeman 22.07.2023 As the EU Single Market turns 30, we can't allow further obstacles to its just future.
  44. Lobbying the EU EU vaccine transparency: a shot in the dark 21.07.2023 In case of the EU’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the tens of billions of euros the EU spends on purchasing vaccines from powerful pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer, the European Parliament has renounced its' key task
  45. Climate Oil-linked group's EU influencing exposed Corporate Europe Observatory complains to EU institutions 19.07.2023 The Consumer Choice Center, a US oil-linked pressure group, is now the subject of a new complaint for untransparent and problematic lobbying.
  46. PFAS are forever? How the chemical industry is fighting back against regulation 13.07.2023 Corporate Europe Observatory uncovers the story of how the toxics industry is fighting back against the upcoming regulation of PFAS or 'forever chemicals', which are found in everything from frying pans to foo
  47. Out of REACH? Redacted documents suggest Commission's chemicals backsliding 11.07.2023 A redacted European Commission impact assessment has revealed a worrying dilution of ambition on the reform of REACH, the EU's key chemicals regulation. Meanwhile the European Ombudsman is probing whether the full
  48. Lobbying the EU NGOs condemn MEP’s side activities in complaint on conflict-of-interest risk 29.06.2023 NGOs have today written to European Parliament President Roberta Metsola to raise concerns about potential conflicts of interest regarding Member of the European Parliament Axel Voss.
  49. Lobbying the EU 30 Years of EU Single Market Time to remove the obstacles to social-ecological transformation 21.06.2023 Our new report exposes how corporations have used the EU Single Market to obstruct progressive legislation like social housing measures, progressive healthcare reforms, protection
  50. Lobbying the EU EU Single Market at 30: the board game! Can your company roll back progressive legislation? Of course! Play the game to find out how! 21.06.2023 Is there a particularly threatening social or environmental policy or regulation that may harm your profits? Play our board game "EU Single
  51. Lobbying the EU How the Single Market has been used to obstruct progressive legislation EU Watchdog Radio Episode 44 21.06.2023 Joana Louçã talks to economist and trade unionist Frank Ey, Olivier Hoedeman and Moritz Neujeffski, co-authors of CEO's latest report on the Single Market.
  52. Food & agriculture Media reaction: Leaked proposal to deregulate new GMOs Commission plan gives in to biotech seed corporations 19.06.2023 A leaked version of DG SANTE’s proposal to deregulate products of ‘new genomic techniques’ (NGTs, or new GMOs) confirms the early warnings by environmental, sust
  53. Climate UN Climate treaty participants required to disclose industry ties New UNFCCC rules a first step in addressing polluter interference in talks, yet still a long way to go 15.06.2023 As the second week of UN climate talks near a close in Bonn, Germany, public-interest civil society groups and r
  54. Food & agriculture Right-wing Europe on a hunt to kill the remains of the Green Deal 14.06.2023 As the right wing EPP grouping of the European Parliament gears up with 2024’s election in its sights, it senses blood as its hunts down key aspects of the Green Deal. Legislation to protect biodiversity
  55. Climate New figures show Big Oil & Gas flooding UN climate talks since Paris Agreement 09.06.2023 The Big 5 oil and gas majors have brought more than 400 lobbyists to the UN climate talks since the Paris Agreement was signed at COP21.
  56. Food & agriculture Hunger is not an issue of production but of political failure EU Watchdog Radio Episode 43 04.06.2023 In this episode of EU Watchdog Radio, Hans van Scharen talks to Special UN Rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhri.
  57. Big Toxics and their lobby firepower 25.05.2023 New analysis shows that major chemical industry players ‒ Big Toxics ‒ are at the top of LobbyFacts rankings when it comes to lobby spend.
  58. Climate Transatlantic alliance of 130+ EU and US decision makers call to end fossil fuel influence at UN climate talks 23.05.2023 An unprecedentedly large coalition of politicians from the US Congress and the EU Parliament call for an end to fossil fuel industry influence at the UN climate talks wee
  59. Food & agriculture Timmermans: Prevent deregulation of GM now! 22.05.2023 300+ NGOs call on Vice-President Timmermans to intervene and prevent the far-reaching deregulation of new genomic techniques at the expense of nature and the climate, and of farmers’ and consumers’ rights.
  60. It's time to tackle BASF’s legacy of pollution and end its burden shifting 04.05.2023 EU and member state decision-makers need to agree robust new rules to get the chemicals industry in line and paying its way in full.
  61. Lobbying the EU Beyond Qatargate: the EU needs a compulsory register that targets all covert lobbying 03.05.2023 Instead of a misguided 'foreign agents' law that will negatively target NGOs, the EU needs to respond to the Qatargate scandal with a robust compulsory transparency register that targets
  62. Lobbying the EU How the Commission outsourced its merger policy to Google’s best friend 26.04.2023 The European Commission has hired consultants who work for some of the biggest monopolies in the world to evaluate its merger enforcement policies. The European Commission has barely explored if there
  63. Other battles Thirty years of the Single Market: corporate complaints and deregulation pressure endanger the ecological transition 27.04.2023 A Europe that turns its back on neoliberalism should modernise Single Market governance in order to firmly protect public services, and enable the explosion o
  64. Food & agriculture Dutch biotech researchers with conflicting roles lobby for deregulation of new GMOs 18.04.2023 An intense lobby battle is currently being waged by industry to try to make EU GMO rules on environment, health and freedom of choice obsolete. Dutch TV Zembla's recently broadcast progr
  65. Lobbying the EU NGOs submit complaint about risk of MEP's conflicts of interest 05.04.2023 NGOs including Corporate Europe Observatory have today raised serious concerns about the risk of conflicts of interest by an MEP working on the Corporate Sustainability and Due Diligence file.
  66. European Ombudsman announces new inquiry into Regulatory Scrutiny Board 05.04.2023 The European Ombudsman has responded positively to our request for an inquiry into the role of the Commission's Regulatory Scrutiny Board.
  67. Climate Will this be the last European Gas Conference? 24.03.2023 The IPCC says the world is in the last-chance saloon, yet fossil-gas executives eye deals next week in Vienna at the European Gas Conference. Climate and cost of living activists have other ideas.
  68. Climate Germany’s great hydrogen race The corporate perpetuation of fossil fuels, energy colonialism and climate disaster 23.03.2023 Our new report maps Germany’s 'brave new hydrogen world'. Which looks a lot like the old world: prolonging fossil fuel use and continuing its extractivist logic. We sh
  69. Food & agriculture Chemical romance: how politicians fell for BASF 15.03.2023 The biggest chemical producer in the world, German company BASF is a political powerhouse and has used its influence to push back against chemicals regulation in the EU. No wonder, when its products include ‘forever’ chemi
  70. Lobbying the EU Cost of living crisis affects women the most, but it’s men who are causing it 07.03.2023 Women are suffering in poverty, being forced to make impossible choices to ensure people who are dependent on them can survive, while the corporations responsible for this crisis are overwhelming
  71. Lobbying the EU The lobbying ghost in the machine Big Tech’s covert defanging of Europe’s AI Act 23.02.2023 Documents obtained by Corporate Europe Observatory reveal how the EU’s pioneering attempt to regulate artificial intelligence has faced intense lobbying from US tech companies.
  72. Lobbying the EU Sign the petition for trilogue transparency 21.02.2023 One of the most important steps in EU decision-making takes place behind closed doors. We call on the EU to end this secrecy. We have the right to be informed about the negotiations between the Commission, the Parliament and the
  73. Lobbying the EU Qatargate - The tyrant lobby and why transparency matters EU Watchdog Radio Episode 42 17.02.2023 Corporate Europe Observatory's researchers Kat Ainger, Olivier Hoedeman and Hans van Scharen talk about the corruption scandal and its’ consequences.
  74. Lobbying the EU Qatargate, authoritarian backlash and Orban’s fleas 15.02.2023 The unified political outrage in the European Parliament following Qatargate lasted more or less until Christmas. There was - granted – an ambitious, cross-party resolution voted 15 December, to clean up the political mes
  75. Lobbying the EU Welcome to LobbyLeaks.eu! EU Watchdog Radio Episode 41 03.02.2023 In our brand new episode of EU Watchdog Radio, we talk to MEP Paul Tang and to CEO’s Bram Vranken about the new website LobbyLeaks.eu
  76. Lobbying the EU Spamming the regulator How Big Tech's 'economic consultants' undermine EU competition policy 30.01.2023 Research by CEO and LobbyControl shows that a little-known band of economic consultancies are managing to fly under the radar on behalf of their tech clients. These consultancies a

2022 59

  1. 25 years of CEO 20.12.2022 We offer you this bird's eye view of Corporate Europe Observatory's activities over the past 25 years, from our foundation in 1997 all the up to the present day. We've dug out a couple of highlights from each year of our existence, though of course, this covers a fraction
  2. Food & agriculture The not so soft killing of the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy 17.12.2022 On Monday the 19th the European Council is about to softly kill the main legislative part of the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategy in the name of food security. EU ministers and their experts are, at the COP
  3. Lobbying the EU How to close the door on repressive regime lobbying The Qatargate scandal reveals the shortcomings of lobbying regulation in the EU institutions. Now is the time to act! 15.12.2022 The Qatargate scandal reveals the shortcomings of lobbying regulation in the EU institutions. Now is th
  4. Lobbying the EU Qatargate: Time to close the door on repressive regime lobbying 12.12.2022 By refusing to adopt rules to detect and prevent repressive regime lobbying, the EU institutions, have opened the door to bribery scandals and manipulation of decision-making.
  5. Climate The hydrogen COP boosting green colonialism in Africa 29.11.2022 COP27 was dubbed the ‘gas COP’, with record-breaking numbers of fossil fuel lobbyists in attendance. However, much less attention was paid to how this could also have been called ‘hydrogen COP’, with a myriad of events and deal
  6. Climate How the gas lobby is fuelling the cost-of-living crisis 24.11.2022 A series of critical decisions on tax, energy infrastructure, and regulation have put fossil fuel industry profits above the interests of millions.
  7. Climate COP27: 90% of sponsors have fossil fuel ties 17.11.2022 18 out of 20 COP27 sponsors directly support or partner with the fossil fuel industry, helping it to advance its climate-wrecking agenda.
  8. Fishy business A revolving door case in the French tuna industry 16.11.2022 Corporate Europe Observatory and the French association Bloom have today made a complaint to the EU lobby register secretariat regarding the French and EU fishing industry and its use of the revolving door.
  9. Climate COP27: just Kick Big Polluters Out EU Watchdog Radio Episode 39 11.11.2022 Join us in the new episode of EU Watchdog Radio, where Pascoe Sabido talks to Aderonke Ige about the campaign Kick Big Polluters Out, and the absurd presence of fossil fuel lobbyists at COP27.
  10. Climate COP27: 100 more fossil fuel lobbyists than last year 10.11.2022 New research from CEO, Corporate Accountability and Global Witness shows there are more fossil fuel lobbyists than representatives of the ten nations most impacted by the climate crisis registered to attend COP27.
  11. Food & agriculture A Toxic Lobby vs. The Green Deal EU Watchdog Radio Episode 38 07.11.2022 In this episode of EU Watchdog Radio, we talk to Hans van Scharen and Vicky Cann, campaigners and researchers at CEO about the pressures of the chemical industry and AgriBiz lobby and the EU Commission's reac
  12. Finance Stop funding climate disaster Big bankers are part of the problem, not the solution 01.11.2022 89 civil society organisations from across the planet denounce corporate capture at the UNFCCC, and demand a new approach to climate finance.
  13. Climate Fuelling the cost of living crisis How the fossil fuel industry turned the Ukraine war into an opportunity for extra profits and further lock-in of gas 28.10.2022 The fossil fuel industry’s unprecedented access to European decision-makers since the Ukraine war has allowed them to protect the
  14. Climate A ‘gastastrophic’ mistake New expert group invites fossil fuel giants to steer Europe’s energy 26.10.2022 The new EU Energy Platform Industry Advisory Group, created at the request of oil and gas majors like Shell, BP, Total and Eni, represents a conflict of interest on a colossal scale. The
  15. Lobbying the EU Uber Files 2: How digital platforms are lobbying to undermine the rights of their workers 24.10.2022 As the Council and the European Parliament are discussing a directive to better protect the rights of platform workers, we unpack a new report by Observatoire des Multinationales expo
  16. Food & agriculture Exposed: How biotech giants use patents and new GMOs to control the future of food 20.10.2022 Big global biotech corporations like Bayer and Corteva, which together already control 40% of the global seed market, are dangerously trying to reinforce their monopoly and threatening fo
  17. Food & agriculture EU lobby profile: Syngenta A toxic ‘world champion’ 20.10.2022 As agrichemical giant Syngenta hits the news on its extremely toxic herbicide Paraquat, Corporate Europe Observatory reveals the company’s years of lobbying in Europe on behalf of its toxic trade.
  18. Will EU Commission capitulate to toxic chemicals industry? 14.10.2022 Rumours abound that a key piece of legislation aimed at protecting citizens and the environment from toxic chemicals is about to be kicked into the long grass.
  19. Food & agriculture Event: Science, lobbies and the environment Marking the 60th anniversary of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring 02.09.2022 CEO and the University of Bergen co-organised an event on 6 October 2022 in Brussels on the role of science in corporate lobbying, to commemorate Rachel Carson's bo
  20. Climate The deadly climate gamble Dirty Energy bets on unproven ‘carbon removals’ to keep fossil fuels flowing 03.10.2022 Civil society groups urge the EU to reject an upcoming proposal by the European Commission on the certification of carbon removals. The new report demonstrates how the oil and ga
  21. Finance Co-opting the COP How the finance sector captured the UN climate finance agenda 03.10.2022 The very financial sector that funds pollution through massive investments has been allowed to take care of the problem themselves. It is deeply worrying that groups like the Glasgow Financial Alliance
  22. Lobbying the EU Episode 37: Re-launch of LobbyFacts! 30.09.2022 Welcome to a new autumn episode of EU Watchdog Radio. In this episode we will discuss the re-launch of one of CEO's flagship initiatives to create more transparency in EU decision making: LobbyFacts.eu. This tool was created by CEO and
  23. NGOs demand chemicals reform stays on track 28.09.2022 NGOs are urgently demanding that proposed EU chemicals regulatory reform stays on track.
  24. Lobbying the EU Big Tech now edges out Big Energy in EU lobbying 23.09.2022 Brand new analysis by EU lobby data website LobbyFacts has revealed that the companies with the highest-declared lobby budgets have increased their spending by a third since 2015.
  25. Lobbying the EU Complaint to EU lobby transparency register 20.09.2022 Corporate Europe Observatory and LobbyControl have written to the EU lobby transparency register to complain about hundreds of instances of implausible data, as exposed by LobbyFacts.eu
  26. Lobbying the EU The revolving door – from public officials to Big Tech lobbyists 20.09.2022 Around three quarters of Google’s and Meta’s lobbyists have formerly worked for EU governmental bodies. Check out our new story using data from LobbyFacts.
  27. Lobbying the EU A ranking of lobbying activities: Who spends most? 20.09.2022 The biggest companies in the EU lobby transparency register have increased their annual EU lobby budget by one third in recent years. Find out more as Corporate Europe Observatory and LobbyControl re-launch their EU lobby
  28. Food & agriculture Researchers with vested interests lobbying to undermine GMO safety rules 28.09.2022 The EU’s green ambitions are in great jeopardy. The agribusiness industry is using the cost-of-living crisis as an excuse to push stronger EU environmental legislation off the table and weaken alre
  29. Exploiting the Ukraine crisis for Big Business 28.07.2022 We are currently seeing a scaling-up of industry efforts to thwart progressive regulation across many sectors.
  30. CEO 2021 Activity Report 25.07.2022 Another year has passed and we take a moment to look back at all the work done in 2021.
  31. Episode 36: CEO Anniversary - 25 years of fighting corporate power 25.07.2022 Welcome to a new summer episode of EU Watchdog Radio. In this episode we will very exceptionally…talk about ourselves
  32. Politicians should stop the ‘Uberisation’ of EU politics 18.07.2022 Among the documents showing how Uber ‘broke the law, duped police and regulators, and secretly lobbied governments across the world
  33. Lobbying the EU Kroes-ing through the revolving door 11.07.2022 The Uber Files have reignited concern about the revolving doors move by Neelie Kroes, Digital agenda Commissioner until October 2014, to Uber. Get the low-down here.
  34. Lobbying the EU Uber: an EU lobby profile 11.07.2022 Uber, currently dominating news headlines around the world, is a regular visitor to the European Commission’s Berlaymont building in Brussels. Read on for the low-down on Uber’s EU lobbying.
  35. TRIPS ‘Waiver failure’: EU betrayal of global south on vaccine access obscured by lack of transparency 08.07.2022 Last month, almost two years after we filed Freedom of Information (FOI) requests concerning COVID-19 vaccine contracts and negotiations between the EU and pharmaceutical companies, Corp
  36. COVID treatment - People's health vs private profits EU Watchdog Radio Episode 35 01.07.2022 In this episode of EU Watchdog Radio, we talk with Olivier Hoedeman, campaigner and researcher at CEO, and Bruno Maia, a doctor and activist.
  37. Vaccine transparency case is still not closed, despite EC’s claim 30.06.2022 Almost two years after lobby watchdog Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) filed Freedom of Information (FOI) requests concerning the Covid-19 vaccine contracts and negotiations between the EU and pharmaceutical companies, th
  38. Lobbying the EU Inside job How business lobbyists used the Commission's scrutiny procedures to weaken human rights and environmental legislation 08.06.2022 Find out how a proposed EU law that seeks to hold companies accountable for abuses in their supply chains has been watered down by corporate lob
  39. Ukraine War: Can EU public finance help the rebuild? EU Watchdog Radio 34 31.05.2022 In the latest episode of EU Watchdog Radio, we discuss how EU public finance institutions like the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) should approach the rebuilding of Ukraine after the war come
  40. EU hydrogen targets—a neo-colonial resource grab 24.05.2022 The REPowerEU plan to end Europe’s dependence on Russian gas would still leave it in hock to fossil-fuel companies.
  41. Climate Hydrogen from North Africa – a neocolonial resource grab The reality of EU green hydrogen import plans 17.05.2022 EU plans to import renewable hydrogen from North Africa represent the latest neocolonial resource grab couched in green language
  42. Climate EU plans to import hydrogen from North Africa Assessing the cases of Morocco, Algeria and Egypt 15.05.2022 New study shows EU’s plan to drastically increase imports of renewable hydrogen from North Africa is not realistic from a cost or energy perspective.
  43. The EU Parliament Covid inquiry The questions MEPs must ask 12.05.2022 The European Parliament starts its hearing of the Special Covid Committee today (Thursday, 12 May), which has the important task of assessing the EU's response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
  44. Climate Fossil Fuel giants shape EU’s response to the energy crisis 11.05.2022 Lobby watchdog Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) has obtained recent meeting documents from the European Commission (EC) that reveal that major fossil fuel companies are influencing the EU’s response to the energy crisis
  45. 1972 - 2022: Is the EU losing historic momentum? EU Watchdog Radio 33 09.05.2022 In this new episode of EU Watchdog Radio we discuss fascinating historical events that help to understand why the European Union functions the way it does.
  46. Stop fossil fuels hijacking EU response to Ukraine Demand fossil free politics! 28.04.2022 Tell EU decision makers to move away from gas and gas lobbyists - EU, US, Russian, Qatari or Azeri!
  47. Lobbying the EU Big Tech’s last minute attempt to tame EU tech rules Lobbying in times of trilogues 23.04.2022 As the EU discussions to set up new tech rules come to an end, new lobby documents expose the intense last minute corporate campaign to influence the secretive last phase - the trilogues.
  48. Climate Why Europe can’t break free from the gas lobby 13.04.2022 The invasion of Ukraine has exposed Europe’s dependency on Russian oil and gas. Its imports are directly funding Putin’s war efforts, to the tune of €20 billion in March alone.
  49. Climate Hooked on Gas - EU & the Ukraine War EU Watchdog Radio 32 13.04.2022 In this episode of EU Watchdog Radio, we talk about the EU’s dependency on gas, what energy poverty is and in what way it is linked to the Ukraine war.
  50. Food & agriculture Take action! Stop the biotech industry's deregulation push for new GMOs 05.04.2022 The EU GMO safety rules are under threat. Big chemical and seed corporations are pushing the EU to allow new genetically modified organisms (GMOs) onto the market without safety tests, monitoring no
  51. Climate Ukraine crisis 31.03.2022 CEO brings you its latest analysis on lobbying and the Ukraine crisis, from energy policy, to tracking the corporate opportunists and their lobby demands.
  52. Ukraine war, food crisis and a toxic lobby EU Watchdog Radio 31 29.03.2022 In the latest episode of EU Watchdog Radio, we discuss the linkages between the Ukraine war , the food crisis and subsequent ‘the policy fall-out’.
  53. The obsession to ‘complete the single market’ 23.03.2022 Multinationals are pushing to open new frontiers in the single market with a deregulatory agenda.
  54. Food & agriculture Joint open letter: Publication of the revision of the legislation on the sustainable use of pesticides 23.03.2022 Fifty three organisations and federations of NGOs and farming groups warn in an open letter about the misuse of the current situation to advance the political agenda o
  55. Food & agriculture A loud lobby for a silent spring The pesticide industry's toxic lobbying tactics against Farm to Fork 17.03.2022 In order to tackle the grave threat of the biodiversity crisis, the EU will table a proposal for targets for the reduction of pesticide use. This has put the pesticide
  56. Europe’s secret €25 billion stash EU Watchdog Radio 30 01.03.2022 In the latest episode of EU Watchdog Radio, we discuss the European Guarantee Fund (EGF), a secretive €25 billion fund created by the European Investment Bank (EIB), ostensibly to help European businesses in the wake of the Covid-19 p
  57. Lobbying the EU Over 40 CSOs and trade unions demand transparency in DSA-DMA trilogues 28.02.2022 Today over 40 NGOs and trade unions working on transparency, media, democracy and digital rights, asked EU policy-makers to make urgent improvements to the transparency of the trilogue negotiations on t
  58. Lobbying the EU Macron's EU vs Transparency & Democracy EU Watchdog Radio: Episode 29 21.01.2022 In this new episode of EU Watchdog Radio we discuss France, French politics, the role that French President Emmanuel Macron wants to play in the EU and what vision he has for the future of Europe. Discla
  59. Lobbying the EU How corporate lobbying undermined the EU’s push to ban surveillance ads 18.01.2022 Despite the EU's talk about regulating the digital sphere , we uncover how Big Tech has successfully waged a major lobbying campaign to prevent a ban on their extremely profitable model of intrusive su

2021 50

  1. Lobbying the EU Under the influence (II) The distorted priorities of the French EU Council Presidency 20.12.2021 In January 2022, France will take on the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU. Yet this Presidency has been prepared in close collaboration with the French corporate sector, and i
  2. Corona power of Big Pharma and European lies EU Watchdog Radio 28 06.12.2021 In this new episode we’ll talk to two experts - Dimitri Eynikel, an expert of Doctors without Borders and CEO-researcher Olivier Hoedeman- on how the EU is dealing with the new phase of the pandemic, with a special focus on
  3. Bitter pill How the EU’s defence of pharma profits could keep COVID treatments out of reach for millions 19.11.2021 In the run up to the World Trade Organisation summit in December 2021, negotiations over a waiver of patents on COVID-19 medical products are entering a crucial stage. The waiver, so f
  4. Climate Big Oil & Gas ensure COP26 pours fire on the flames 16.11.2021 Rejected by the climate justice movement, the final COP26 text mirrors the agenda of rich developed countries and their oil and gas industries.
  5. Climate Hundreds of fossil fuel lobbyists flooding COP26 climate talks More lobbyists for big polluters than any national delegation 08.11.2021 At least 503 fossil fuel lobbyists have been granted access to COP26, flooding the Glasgow conference with corporate influence.
  6. Climate COP26 and Net Zero Greenwashing EU Watchdog Radio: Episode 27 05.11.2021 In this new episode of EU Watchdog Radio we take the temperature of the international climate conference COP26, which started this week in Glasgow. Activist Greta Thunberg is right by saying and sometime shouting the wo
  7. Climate Videos from COP26 Watch all our video covareage from COP26 and the People's Summit here! 05.11.2021 Here you can see our video diaries, and get to know all about the toxic tours that are taking place at the COP and in the streets of Glasgow, the events going on in the People's Summit as well
  8. Climate Still a Big Con How Big Polluters are using “net zero” to block meaningful action at COP26 26.10.2021 On the road to COP26, corporations are using “net zero” to block effective climate policy and greenwash their image while maintaining business-as-usual. This fact file details the “net zero”
  9. Climate Stop the revolving door: fossil fuel policy influencers 25.10.2021 New research by Fossil Free Politics members CEO, FoEE and FWAE explores 70+ revolving doors cases between six of Europe's big oil and gas companies (BP, Shell, Total, ENI, Equinor, Galp and five of their lobby groups) and th
  10. Finance COP26: the biggest finance greenwash event in history Some of the worst financiers of the worst polluters helped write the script - and more, they will implement the decisions after the summit in Glasgow. 29.10.2021 The climate summit is set to address 'finance flows' to protect us from clim
  11. Climate EU Green Deal: reclaiming public investments for socio-ecological transformation EU Watchdog Radio: Episode 26 22.10.2021 In this new episode of EU Watchdog Radio, we take a closer look at the European Green Deal (EGD) and in particular how it is being financed. Counter Balance released thei
  12. Food & agriculture Stop the Toxic Trade! 13.10.2021 The EU Green Deal includes bold promises to vastly reduce the use of toxic pesticides. But big pesticide corporations like Bayer, BASF, Syngenta and Corteva are lobbying hard to counter these initiatives. They also want to continue producing and ex
  13. Lobbying the EU Under the influence (I) Is France’s EU Presidency already captured by corporate interests? 12.10.2021 In January France will take over the Presidency of the EU Council for six months. But the early signs are worrying that this will be a pro-corporate presidency which prioritises a ha
  14. Food & agriculture Leak: industrial farm lobbies’ coordinated attack on Farm to Fork targets 12.10.2021 Leaked internal lobby documents from Copa-Cogeca reveal a coordinated attack by industrial agri-food lobbies on the EU’s sustainable food (Farm to Fork) strategy. The lobby strategy aims to create
  15. Lobbying the EU Tech lobby eyes opportunities created by new EU-US Trade and Tech Council 28.09.2021 Tomorrow EU and US counterparts will sit down together for the first meeting of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC). This is a new transatlantic 'regulatory cooperation' effort with a specia
  16. Climate Piping gas into the Parliament Rapporteur’s pro-gas views and refusal to reveal lobbying raise alarms over TEN-E revision 23.09.2021 Europe already has more than enough gas infrastructure, and to avoid wrecking the climate we need to make massive cuts in gas usage. A joint investigation by G
  17. Lobbying the EU Big Tech Lobby versus EU Democracy EU Watchdog Radio: Episode 24 06.09.2021 In this new episode of EU Watchdog Radio, we start with a Bang. This podcast deals with the question how the big digital corporations and platforms like Facebook, Google, Amazon and others try to influence Eu
  18. Lobbying the EU The lobby network: Big Tech's web of influence in the EU 31.08.2021 As Big Tech’s market power has grown, so has its political clout. Just as the EU tries to rein in the most problematic aspects of Big Tech – from disinformation, targeted advertising to excessive market power – the d
  19. An EU love affair with Big Pharma EU Watchdog Radio: Episode 23 18.07.2021 In this special Summer episode we bring you the true story of how the EU has been dealing with the covid-19 pandemic so far and why it seems to have a deep love affair with Big Pharma.
  20. Lobbying the EU Business lobbies dominate secret channel to influence Council 13.07.2021 A secretive Council working party allows corporate lobbyists to influence policy positions. New research by Corporate Europe Observatory into this little scrutinised channel shows how business priorities – such
  21. Climate Hijacking the Recovery Through Hydrogen How fossil fuel lobbying is siphoning Covid recovery funds 08.07.2021 The European Commission said it wants to avoid giving billions in bailouts to the fossil fuel industry like it did in 2008 - but it’s doing just that: In Italy, France, Portugal and
  22. Food & agriculture Study shows EU Glyphosate assessment based on flawed science 02.07.2021 The glyphosate battle is back. A new scientific analysis finds that most of industry’s studies provided to EU authorities to prove glyphosate’s safety, did not meet basic international scientific standards as
  23. Climate The Big Con How Big Polluters are advancing a “net zero” climate agenda to delay, deceive, and deny 01.07.2021 Recently more than 1,500 corporations, including big polluters, have made “net zero” commitments. Are their pledges backed by plans for real action or are they a strategy for evadin
  24. Climate How the Energy Charter Treaty could faciliate a toxic fracking project in Slovenia 30.06.2021 UK gas company Ascent Resources is threatening to sue Slovenia for €120 million under the Energy Charter Treaty. Why? Just because the Slovenian government demanded an environmental impact assessmen
  25. Trade Conquering EU courts? Big business lobbies in secret for new legal privileges in the EU 28.06.2021 In the run up to a European Commission proposal to protect cross-border investments in the EU, large banks, law firms and business lobby groups are pushing for vast new legal privileges for corpo
  26. Lobbying the EU Off the hook? How business lobbies against liability for human rights and environmental abuses 16.06.2021 Corporate lobbyists are fighting a proposed EU law that seeks to hold companies accountable for human rights abuses and environmental destruction. While some employ outright host
  27. Lobbying the EU Public and Parliaments kept in the dark on EU role in global COVID patent struggle 04.06.2021 On 20 May the EU Council of Ministers discussed their collective position over a proposal to waive Big Pharma’s patent monopolies on COVID vaccines and treatment. But they are keeping these
  28. Lobbying the EU Big Pharma’s lobbying firepower in Brussels: at least €36 million a year (and likely far more) 31.05.2021 Big Pharma is currently waging a fierce lobbying battle to protect its monopoly patent rights for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. While Corporate Europe Observatory broadly out
  29. Lobbying the EU EU Defence Agency under pressure to change rules after Airbus revolving doors scandal 26.05.2021 “The Ombudsman is concerned about the potential risk of conflicts of interest.” These concerns led the European Ombudsman’s office to launch an inquiry into the European Defence Agency’s
  30. Jobs 17.05.2021 CEO is hiring two new colleagues to join our communications team.
  31. Lobbying the EU The Commission's pharma echo chamber 07.05.2021 Who meets the European Commission to discuss the scarcity of COVID vaccines and medicines in Europe and globally? An investigation of recent meetings show a disconcerting pattern: only those not questioning big pharma’s monopoly on pate
  32. Climate Transportation versus Climate Change EU Watchdog Radio: Episode 21 30.04.2021 In this new episode of EU Watchdog Radio we dive into the issue of plains, trains, cars and bicycles aka transport policy and why this is such a powerful issue in the context of climate change and healthy societies
  33. Lobbying the EU Big pharma lobby’s self-serving claims block global access to vaccines 19.04.2021 The self-serving arguments used by big pharma lobbyists at meetings with the European Commission to defend monopoly intellectual property rights on vaccines are demonstrably false. Corporate Europe Obse
  34. Lobbying the EU Expanding the corporate capture of research: the new EU Joint Undertakings 12.04.2021 The European Commission proposes to have industry co-decide how €9.6 billion of EU public research money should be used. The Member States now have to decide if they accept expanding the highly prob
  35. Food & agriculture Derailing EU rules on new GMOs CRISPR-Files expose lobbying tactics to deregulate new GMOs 29.03.2021 The biotech industry is waging a battle to get new genetic modification techniques excluded from European GMO regulations. This would mean that these new GMOs would not be subject
  36. Food & agriculture Biotech lobby versus Green Deal EU Watchdog Radio: Episode 20 02.04.2021 In this new episode of EU Watchdog Radio we dive into the covert lobby tactics used by the biotechnology industry to get a new generation of GMO’s to be used in agriculture, deregulated in the EU. Why are agr
  37. Lobbying the EU Participation of Advocate General Pitruzzella in event co-hosted by pharmaceutical industry lobby 29.03.2021 CEO and The Good Lobby have written to Mr Koen Lenaerts (President of the Court of Justice of the European Union) to express concern about the fact that ECJ Advocate General G
  38. Climate Climate urgency versus false solutions EU Watchdog Radio: Episode 19 18.03.2021 This new episode of EU Watchdog Radio is dedicated to the Global Climate strike on Friday 19th March. Two experts talk about how the current proposed climate policies are too oriented towards market-based solutio
  39. Climate Ditching gas could see EU face hundreds of billions in compensation claims How the Energy Charter Treaty could stop the EU moving beyond gas 17.03.2021 To keep temperature rises below 1.5oC, the EU needs to decommission existing gas infrastructure as well as stop building new fossil gas infr
  40. Lobbying the EU Patently absurd EU more worried about Parma ham branding than COVID vaccine patents 11.03.2021 How did EU governments decide to oppose a global measure that could boost production of COVID vaccines and medicines for the global south? You won’t get the slightest hint from official EU
  41. Lobbying the EU Targeting the European Commission: The 7 Lobbying Techniques of Big Tobacco 10.03.2021 Big Tobacco has been influencing policy to its advantage for decades—postponing, protesting, promoting untruths, playing the victim and pushing new technologies—in order to disrupt tobacco control
  42. Lobbying the EU EU risks public health in its protection of big pharma monopolies 09.03.2021 To secure a rapid and sufficient supply of vaccines and medicines, the global south has asked for a waiver of intellectual property rights. But despite the gravity of the situation, that is rejected outright
  43. Climate Energy Charter Treaty versus Climate Urgency EU Watchdog Radio: Episode 18 01.03.2021 In this new episode of EU Watchdog Radio we dive into one of the biggest examples of ‘cognitive dissonance’ in recent history. Every (European) policymaker knows by now that fossil fuels should stay in the
  44. Lobbying the EU BASF wining MEPs in COVID times 22.02.2021 Chemical giant's lobbyists woo MEPs via online wine tasting, just as the battle over pesticides reduction proposed by the European Green Deal heats up. But does this event comply with existing rules on lobbying gifts and events targeting MEP
  45. Lobbying the EU Lobbying Frontex for Fortress Europe EU Watchdog Radio: Episode 17 12.02.2021 In this new episode we dive into the incredible story on how Fortress Europe is being constructed by an European agency called the ‘European Border and Coast Guard Agency’ AKA Frontex, almost in the dark an
  46. Vaccine scarcity: how the EU’s appeasement of Big Pharma damages COVID-19 response 11.02.2021 Today is the EU Commission's deadline for responding to the EU Ombudsman’s inquiry into the lack of transparency and accountability around the EU’s Covid19 vaccine negotiations with Big Pharma. In addition
  47. Other battles Lobbying Fortress Europe The making of a border-industrial complex 05.02.2021 The massive expansion of the budget, personnel, and powers of the EU's border agency Frontex has also seen increasingly privileged access for industry. This perpetuates a vision of border control based on mor
  48. Pandemic, austerity, privatisation and the urgency of an honest debate on health care policy EU Watchdog Radio: Episode 16 05.02.2021 In this first new episode of 2021, we dive into the topic that is unfortunately still on everyone's mind each and every day: the raging pandemic. Our main focus is wh
  49. When the market becomes deadly How pressures towards privatisation of health and long-term care put Europe on a poor footing for a pandemic 26.01.2021 From hospitals to care homes, the evidence is mounting that outsourcing and private provision of healthcare has significantly degraded EU member stat
  50. Food & agriculture COPA-COGECA: defending farmers in public and the agribusiness industry in private? 25.01.2021 Do you remember our October 2020 investigation into the lobbying of COPA-COGECA, the inescapable Brussels farm lobby, as well as their French member FNSEA? We wanted to know why, so often

2020 61

  1. Climate The Hydrogen Hype vs Climate EU Watchdog Radio: Episode 15 18.12.2020 In this year’s last episode of EU Watchdog Radio CEO-researcher and campaigner Belen Balanya, explains why and how hydrogen is being hyped as the new energy source in town, that will solve all our climate related problems.
  2. Other battles United Arab Emirates’ growing legion of lobbyists support its ‘soft superpower’ ambitions in Brussels 17.12.2020 Corporate Europe Observatory uncovers the autocratic kingdom’s Brussels-based spin doctors, from a think tank headed by former European prime ministers, to lobby consultanci
  3. Lobbying the EU NGOs demand Portuguese EU Presidency puts public interest centre stage 17.12.2020 Sixty four civil society organisations from Portugal and across the EU have today demanded action to tackle corporate influence and to promote lobby transparency, accountability, and democratic reform.
  4. Climate Busting myths around the Energy Charter Treaty 15.12.2020 Amidst growing concerns that the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) undermines urgent climate action, its corporate profiteers are spewing propaganda. Cut through the rhetoric with our myth-busting guide to the ECT.
  5. Lobbying the EU Big Tech brings out the big guns in fight for future of EU tech regulation 11.12.2020 The next big EU lobby battle is already underway: Google, Facebook, and Microsoft are among the companies making huge efforts to shape the upcoming Commission proposals to regulate the digital marke
  6. Climate The hydrogen hype: Gas industry fairy tale or climate horror story? The European Commission and its quest to let the gas industry write the book on hydrogen in Europe 07.12.2020 Our new report exposes the intense and concerted lobbying campaign by the gas industry to secure political, financ
  7. Finance Can the EIB become the EU Development Bank? EU Watchdog Radio: Episode 13 12.11.2020 In this new episode we discuss how it's possible that European taxpayers money contributes to violations of human rights. Xavier Sol, director at Counter Balance discusses the role of the European Investment
  8. Other battles Wakeup call for the European Commission in its failed power grab over local services Commission continues deregulation push, targeting Spanish island Formentera’s efforts to limit harmful impacts of mass tourism 04.11.2020 An outcry from city governments has helped shelve the European
  9. Finance A taxing matter: will the German Government finally prioritise EU tax transparency? 02.11.2020 Will the German Government use its EU Presidency to prioritise tax transparency? Time is running out to take action.
  10. Lobbying the EU From Facebook friends to lobby consultants EU revolving door rules not fit for purpose 22.10.2020 Several recent revolving door scandals show the weakness of EU staff rules on public officials taking up roles – particularly lobbying roles – in the private sector. Only one in two hund
  11. Food & agriculture How the agro-chemical lobby again hijacked the EU’s Common Agriculture Policy and what science and farmers really tell us to do EU Watchdog Radio: Episode 12 22.10.2020 In this new EU Watchdog episode we discuss why and how it is possible that the European Parliament and ministers
  12. Food & agriculture CAP vs Farm to Fork Will we pay billions to destroy, or to support biodiversity, climate, and farmers? 12.10.2020 The EU’s current model of agriculture directs billions in EU taxpayers’ money to fuel climate change, destroy biodiversity, and even undermine farmers’ livelihoods. Wh
  13. FNSEA, France’s agribusiness war machine in the name of farmers’ defence 09.10.2020
  14. Privileged access for Copa-Cogeca and industry in DG Agriculture 09.10.2020
  15. Climate Polluters profiting from pandemic bailouts How the fossil fuel industry is using the COVID-19 crisis to capture public funds and lock in-dirty energy 05.10.2020 Fossil fuel interests have captured tens of billions of COVID-19 public recovery funds. New research by the Fossil Free Politics ca
  16. Finance European Commission: Take action to stop revolving doors Open letter to President von der leyen, Vice-Presidents Dombrovskis, Timmermans, and Jourová 01.10.2020 Civil society groups demand action from the European Commission on revolving doors. In a open letter they list proposals that follo
  17. Will the EU Commission stand firm against toxic lobbying pressure? 30.09.2020 A battle has been raging within the European Commission over the upcoming Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, with industry lobbies actively feeding their Commission allies with ammunition. With two weeks to go before t
  18. Covid-19, vaccines, Big Pharma’s lobby and the quest for transparency EU Watchdog Radio: Episode 11 30.09.2020 In this new episode, after a long summer break we dive into the topic that is unfortunately still on everyone's mind each and every day: the raging pandemic. Our main question: when will th
  19. Lobbying the EU Big Tech Lobbying Google, Amazon & friends and their hidden influence 23.09.2020 Big Tech firms are spending more and more lobbying in Europe – a clear sign of the industry’s growing power. Its increased lobby spending also reflects the importance of key upcoming policy battles. Yet,
  20. Lobbying the EU Power and profit during a pandemic Why the pharmaceutical industry needs more scrutiny not less 21.09.2020 In a pandemic the pharmaceutical industry is hailed as a saviour; yet the industry is using the crisis to lock in its problematic, profit-maximising model. Pushing for public mo
  21. Climate An EU Love Affair with Fossil Fuel EU Watchdog Radio: Episode 10 27.07.2020 In this tenth episode, German journalist Harald Schumann- co-founder of Investigative Europe, describes how and why many EU member states seem to still have a crush on fossil fuels.
  22. Chemical industry cheerleader: how DG Grow puts industry above public interest regulation 16.07.2020 A roadmap for how the EU is to regulate toxic chemicals has been leaked, and the document reveals in stark detail the role DG Grow is playing in mirroring chemical industry lobbying points. It's time
  23. Climate EU Green Deal or Grey Deal? EU Watchdog Radio: Episode 9 15.07.2020 In this ninth episode, Belén Balanyá and Lala Hakuma Dadci both researcher and campaigner at Corporate Europe Observatory, take a step back and have a critical look at what is happening with the EU flagship project the EU Gr
  24. Finance Time to block BlackRock How could the European Commission give, a major fossil fuel investor, a key role to provide paid advice on ‘sustainable finance’? Documents show they didn’t even explore if there was a conflict of interest. 09.07.2020 BlackRock is a major fossil fuel investor. So why
  25. Climate EU Climate Bank - Greenwashing or Banking Revolution? EU Watchdog Radio: Episode 8 08.07.2020 In this eighth episode, Clara Bourgin, research and policy assistant at Counter Balance digs into the recent commitments taken by the Europe Investment Bank (EIB) – the lending arm of the European U
  26. Climate A grey deal? Fossil fuel fingerprints on the European Green Deal 07.07.2020 The European Green Deal (EGD) is a major new plan for the EU that seeks to make its economy 'climate-neutral'. Is the deal really as good as they want us to believe? The fingerprints of industry, and in particular th
  27. Lobbying the EU Smoke and mirrors Weak EU transparency rules allow tobacco industry lobbyists to dodge scrutiny 02.07.2020 Given the upcoming revision of the Tobacco Products Directive, it is high time that the EU meets its obligations to ensure that lobbying by the tobacco industry to influence pub
  28. Lobbying the EU Tainted Love: corporate lobbying and the German EU Presidency EU Watchdog Radio: Episode 7 01.07.2020 In this seventh episode Vicky Cann from Corporate Europe Observatory and Nina Katzemich from LobbyControl dig into the so-called green credentials of the German Government. They expl
  29. Lobbying the EU Tainted love Corporate lobbying and the upcoming German EU Presidency 23.06.2020 Germany will shortly take over the EU Council Presidency at a critical time. A new report looks at the German Government’s record in its own EU decision-making and exposes how time and again it is too cl
  30. Other battles Saving Czech – and European – democracy: the EU must put the brakes on ‘mafia-style’ oligarchy 18.06.2020 Journalist and Corporate Europe Observatory board member Jakub Patočka comments on the conflicts of interest scandals of the oligarch-turned-Czech Prime Minister – and explains how
  31. Unkept promises on flucytosine EU research funds for helping people living with HIV in Africa so far appear to have only helped Sanofi’s profits 03.06.2020 EU research funds for helping people living with HIV in Africa so far appear to have only helped Sanofi’s profits.
  32. In the name of innovation: corporate capture of EU research policy EU Watchdog Radio: Episode 6 03.06.2020 EU Watchdog Radio is a new podcast hosted jointly by Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) and Counter Balance. In the sixth episode Martin Pigeon, researcher and campaigner at CEO and Marine Ejur
  33. Lobbying the EU Hidden contracts? Corporate lobby spending in EU member states in the spotlight Undeclared multi-million contract between FleishmanHillard and Monsanto leads to stricter approach from the EU Transparency Register 26.05.2020 Corporate Europe Observatory filed a complaint to the Regist
  34. Lobbying the EU In the Name of Innovation Industry controls billions in EU research funding, de-prioritises the public interest 25.05.2020 A detailed summary of the findings and conclusions of two extensive reports on research public-private partnerships in the EU: the Innovative Medicines Initiativ
  35. Lobbying the EU More Private than Public The ways Big Pharma dominates the Innovative Medicines Initiative 22.05.2020 This report asks whether the IMI’s health research truly delivers tangible benefits for citizens, such as better access to health innovations, or whether it is rather focused on enha
  36. Lobbying the EU Research & Destroy The factories of the industrial bioeconomy threaten the climate and biodiversity 22.05.2020 BBI is a public-private partnership between lobby groups representing the agribusiness, forestry, biotechnology, chemical, and fossil fuel industries on the one hand, and th
  37. Food & agriculture Dangerous Confidence in “Good Laboratory Practice” Factsheet 20.05.2020 Regulatory authorities worldwide rely on the certified standard of "Good Laboratory Practice" (GLP) for authorising chemicals. This standard provides for strict documentation requirements and regular internal
  38. Trade Cashing in on the pandemic: how lawyers are preparing to sue states over COVID-19 response measures 18.05.2020 As governments take action to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and prevent economic collapse big law firms urge corportions to challenge governments' emergency measures in order to defend
  39. Climate The future according to Shell Climate rhetoric and fossil fuel expansion 15.05.2020 We zoom in Shell's promises of becoming a net-zero company by 2050 using the full toolbox of false 'solutions': gas, CCS, carbon markets and ‘natural climate solutions’. With millions spent on lobbying and pr
  40. Lobbying the EU Corona Lobby Watch Opportunistic lobbyists abuse the EU’s unprecedented health crisis 01.05.2020 Lobbyists for many industries are opportunistically repackaging old demands, or developing new ones, and using the Corona Crisis to justify them, even though in many cases there is no cle
  41. Climate Can we trust financial institutions to manage climate change? EU Watchdog Radio: Episode 5 01.05.2020 EU Watchdog Radio is a new podcast hosted jointly by CEO and Counter Balance. In the fifth episode, we talk with two experts from civil society organisations about the role of big financial
  42. Lobbying the EU Coronawash alert! How corporate lobbyists are cynically exploiting the pandemic 29.04.2020 The coronavirus pandemic is affecting the lives of billions across the globe; yet corporate lobbyists in Brussels are determined not to let a good crisis go to waste.
  43. Food & agriculture European Food Forum: Industry’s Brand New ‘Lobby Platform’ in the European Parliament 28.04.2020 If you can’t beat them, join them. Perhaps this was the thinking behind consultants and lobbyists working for the agrochemical and food industry, who have joined the newly created Euro
  44. Food & agriculture Don’t let industrial farming and corporate lobbies use the COVID-19 crisis to defend continued pesticide use Sign the Save Bees and Farmers petition! 21.04.2020 While pesticide corporations, their allied farm lobbies, and right wing politicians to use the public health crisis caus
  45. Climate Silent expansion 15.04.2020 The Energy Charter Treaty is becoming increasingly controversial – not least because of its potential to obstruct the energy transition. Nonetheless, many countries, particularly in the global south, are in the process of joining this dangerous agreement.
  46. Good ways out of the corona crisis? EU Watchdog Radio: Episode 4 10.04.2020 EU Watchdog Radio is a new podcast hosted jointly by CEO and Counter Balance. In the fourth episode, we talk with five experts from civil society organisations about the Covid-19 crisis. The virus as an X-ray: it brings vari
  47. CEO's Lobby Labyrinth Who's suing against climate and environmental action? 02.04.2020 These six companies have sued or threatened to sue EU countries under the Energy Charter Treaty. Can you find them in the Lobby Labyrinth?
  48. Climate The logistics of globalisation: Is this the world you want? EU Watchdog Radio: Episode 3 20.03.2020 EU Watchdog Radio is a new podcast hosted jointly by CEO and Counter Balance. In the third episode, Nicholas Hildyard, UK-based researcher and activist of NGO The Corner House, gives some fasc
  49. Trade A fast track to weaker food standards 19.03.2020 Will the EU concede to the demands of US negotiators on food standards? While the EU's narrow negotiation mandate makes this seem impossible, the Commission can in fact circumvent the mandate by using other methods that make it much easier to we
  50. Chemical nations: how member states defend their dirty industries 11.03.2020 Chemical nations, a toxic oligarch ... find out how the EU's titanium dioxide lobby battle concluded.
  51. Trade Green Deal or EU-US Trade Deal? EU Watchdog Radio: Episode 2 06.03.2020 EU Watchdog Radio is a new podcast hosted jointly by Brussels-based lobby watchdog Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) and Counter Balance. In this second episode Nina Holland and Kenneth Haar, both researchers from CEO, an
  52. Food & agriculture Health, environment and climate are not negotiable 20.02.2020 More than 100 civil society organisations demand a stop to trade talks with the US that will further endanger EU rules on health and the environment and aggravate the climate crisis. A change of course is needed.
  53. Climate Counter Balance - Challenging Public Investment Banks EU Watchdog Radio: Episode 1 19.02.2020 EU Watchdog Radio is a new podcast hosted jointly by two Brussels based organisations Counter Balance (CB) and Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO). In the very first episode Xavier Sol of Counter Bal
  54. Other battles 'Better Regulation': corporate-friendly deregulation in disguise 18.02.2020 A deregulatory zeal continues to sweep through the European Commission and member states, now turbo-charged by the ‘innovation principle’ and the new ‘One In, One Out’ mantra.
  55. Food & agriculture Toxic residues through the back door Pesticide corporations and trade partners pressured EU to allow banned substances in imported crops 16.02.2020 A new investigation reveals how pesticide corporations and trade partners have put immense pressure on the EU to allow residues of ce
  56. Climate Croatia’s love affair with dirty energy 13.02.2020 Council presidency sponsorship, high-profile events, new fossil fuel investments…. Corporate Europe Observatory turns a quizzical eye on the Croatian Government’s love affair with the fossil fuel industry.
  57. Finance Post-Brexit EU-UK trade deal based on CETA would be bad news 31.01.2020 The EU-UK trade talks begin with the UK objective to use the corporate-friendly EU-Canada agreement CETA as a template. This is not a good start for democracy nor the public interest.
  58. Finance Banking regulator scores another own goal 29.01.2020 After letting its Director leave to head finance lobby group AFME, the European Banking Authority chose to nominate a successor who used to be a lobbyist for the same group. That is just of one of the reasons for the European Parliament to
  59. Lobbying the EU Corporate Europe Observatory awarded 5 star transparency rating 24.01.2020 Corporate Europe Observatory is proud to announce that our funding transparency has been evaluated by Transparify and awarded the highest rating, 5 stars.
  60. Lobbying the EU Croatian Council Presidency oiled by fossil fuel interests Corporate sponsorship of EU Presidencies continues despite Green Deal 21.01.2020 At a time when the climate crisis is dominating world headlines, for the Croatian Council presidency to accept sponsorship from a fossil fuel co
  61. Finance European Banking Authority disregards conflicts of interest Internal documents reveal a real disregard for ethics rules at the European Banking Authority. Revolving door scandals include the Director’s move to a powerful finance lobby group, and a former big bank lobbyist as Chair. 15.01.202

2019 47

  1. Climate Corporate COP25: the biggest failure so far? 19.12.2019 CEO spent a very busy two weeks at COP25 in Madrid in December, working with inspiring allies in the fight for climate justice and exposing the role of corporations in co-opting the UN climate talks and derailing the process.
  2. Lobbying the EU Will Croatian EU Presidency boost transparency in the Council of the EU? An open letter to the Croatian Government 12.12.2019 Civil society from Croatia and across the EU have demanded that the upcoming Croatian Presidency of the EU puts transparency front and centre of its agenda.
  3. Trade How big coal could sue the Netherlands to sabotage climate action 09.12.2019 German coal giant Uniper is threatening to sue the Netherlands under the Energy Charter Treaty - over a law to phase out coal. But opposition to the obscure treaty is growing.
  4. Climate COP25 Bankrolled by Big Polluters 06.12.2019 Some of Spain's biggest polluters are bankrolling COP25 in Madrid. See our new infographic and fact-file for more information.
  5. Lobbying the EU Time to stop business-as-usual at the European Council An open letter to President Charles Michel 28.11.2019 As Charles Michel takes office as European Council President, ALTER-EU sets him a series of challenges.
  6. Picking up the plastics trail: how Ireland cooperated with the plastics industry 13.11.2019 Documents on the lobby battle over restrictions on single-use plastics shine a light on how industry was given privileged access to influence member state decision-making in the Council of the EU.
  7. Lobbying the EU Thierry Breton, the corporate commissioner? 10.11.2019 After seeing his first pick for Commissioner rejected by the European Parliament due to concerns of conflict of interests, French President Macron seems to have doubled down with a potentially even more controversial nomination:
  8. Climate Cut gas, oil and coal out of our politics! Almost 200 organisations worldwide unite to demand #FossilFreePolitics now 24.10.2019 For decades, fossil fuel companies and their lobbyists have denied science, and have delayed, weakened, and sabotaged climate action. They made billions in profits
  9. Finance Stop top EU banking supervisor from moving to the finance lobby A civil society sign-on statement 23.10.2019 The European Banking Authority must reverse its decision to allow its Director Adam Farkas to take up a position with a powerful finance lobbygroup, AFME. A statement from 58 civil so
  10. Climate We demand #FossilFreePolitics Almost 200 organisations join the call to cut gas, oil and coal out of our politics 22.10.2019 189 organisations have joined CEO, Food and Water Europe, Friends of the Earth Europe and Greenpeace EU in signing an open letter to decision makers demanding the foss
  11. Climate Big Oil and Gas buying influence in Brussels With money and meetings, subsidies and sponsorships, the oil and gas lobby is fuelling the climate disaster 22.10.2019 Since 2010, just five oil and gas corporations and their fossil fuel lobby groups have spent at least a quarter of a billion eur
  12. Lobbying the EU Reform of Council transparency in stalemate 10.10.2019 Opening up Council decision-making is essential to counter corporate influence on EU decision-making. But the reform process is currently in stalemate.
  13. Trade EU-US trade talks: opacity sparks concerns Open letter to the Commission 30.09.2019 European civil society organizations denounce lack of transparency and the inclusion of “regulatory cooperation” in the ongoing EU-US trade talks in a letter to the Commission.
  14. Finance Laughing all the way to the banks: top finance regulator moves to top lobbyist role 27.09.2019 The Director of the European Banking Authority is set to become the new Chief Executive of one of the most powerful finance lobby groups in Europe. The move has been approved by the Authority with
  15. The candy chemical ban must prevail 25.09.2019 This week EU member states will decide whether to permit the French Government’s decision to ban the food additive E171, pitting well-funded industry lobbyists against public health campaigners who want the ban extended across the EU.
  16. Lobbying the EU New Commission: Shadows of corruption and conflicts of interest 25.09.2019 Some of the candidates put forward to become the new European Commissioners are of concern due to potential conflicts of interest – from share ownership in fossil fuels and finance to overly close relationship
  17. Lobbying the EU FleishmanHillard’s secret lobby campaign for Monsanto Multi-million lobbying spending not declared to EU transparency register 19.09.2019 Recent evidence supports widely held suspicions that much larger sums of money are spent by corporations on lobbying than what they declare in the
  18. Climate Yara: Poisoning our soils, burning our planet A profile of EU lobbying by the Norwegian fertilizer company 17.09.2019 Fertilizer company Yara has been dubbed the Exxon of agriculture due to its thirst for fossil gas. This article looks at the many channels of influence used by Yara and its l
  19. Climate Who Owns All The Pipelines? Europe’s 4 biggest gas transport companies: Fluxys, Enagás, GRTgaz and Snam 11.09.2019 Why is the EU still building new and unnecessary gas pipelines and LNG terminals? Who’s pushing them and who’s profiting from them?
  20. Über influential? How the gig economy's lobbyists undermine social and workers' rights 05.09.2019 Platforms like Uber and Airbnb are waging a multifaceted lobbying campaign in Brussels to undermine social and workers' rights - and the Commission in particular, is working to help the platforms evade
  21. Trade Trading away protection Emerging threats from the EU-US trade talks on conformity assessments and regulatory cooperation 28.08.2019 The ongoing trade talks between the EU and the US give reason to many of the same concerns as the negotiations on TTIP. The US is looking to weaken EU standards o
  22. Food & agriculture US pressure on EU to de-regulate new GM 24.07.2019 One year after a landmark ECJ judgment that the EU’s GMO rules should apply to new genetic engineering techniques, industry groups and the US Government are keeping up pressure on the European Union to deregulate, with implication
  23. Lobbying the EU Who should the EU hire? 19.07.2019 In preparation for the complicated process of hiring 27 new EU Commissioners, Corporate Europe Observatory presents an outline of the ideal profile of Commissioner candidates.
  24. Trade How ISDS corporate privileges risk to undermine community struggles 05.07.2019 In Croatia, Italy and Romania communities have stopped dirty oil drilling, toxic mines and other disastrous corporate projects. Now, big business might get its way in ISDS corporate courts. But the local communities
  25. Toxic lobbying: the titanium dioxide label debate continues 01.07.2019 The EU process to classify titanium dioxide is at risk of being derailed by corporate lobbying.
  26. Food & agriculture EFSA gene drive working group fails independence test 28.06.2019 Half of the expert group created by EFSA to work on the risks posed by gene drives have financial links to organisations developing this technology. Why did EFSA recruit such a problematic panel on such a sensitive i
  27. Trade Red carpet courts: 10 stories of how the rich and powerful hijacked justice 24.06.2019 The ISDS parallel justice system for big business is again and again used as a corporate weapon against the public interest. 10 recent cases from around the world show how the red carpet courts continue to t
  28. Finance The finance lobby's risky plans for Brexit 06.06.2019 Any future EU-UK trade agreement post-Brexit will have to deal with the financial sector. And the financial lobby has been pushing its own model for long. Their risky plans on 'regulatory cooperation' are uncovered in this report from Cor
  29. Trade International regulatory cooperation and the public good 21.05.2019 Big business has a new weapon to erode 'costly' protections for the environment, public health, workers and consumers: “good regulatory practices” in international trade agreements.
  30. Other battles Europe’s two-faced authoritarian right: ‘anti-elite’ parties serving big business interests 15.05.2019 Authoritarian right wing parties look set to do well at the upcoming European elections. But there is a huge gap between their 'anti-elite' rhetoric and the reality,
  31. High prices, poor access: the EU medicines market and Big Pharma What is Big Pharma fighting for in Brussels? 09.05.2019 The pharmaceutical industry is one of the world’s most profitable, benefiting from a highly problematic model, which helps ensure many people still lack access to essential, life-
  32. Climate Flame Conference 25 years of trashing communities and the climate! 07.05.2019 Read the CEO and Gastivists fact sheet on the 25th edition of FLAME, the gas industry conference jam-packed with the biggest climate criminals whose business model is based on destroying communities and the climate
  33. Climate What UK climate policy will emerge from the Brexit mess? Brexit or not, the UK needs a far more ambitious approach to climate change 01.05.2019 Brexit is an opportunity to improve upon the EU ETS, the EU’s climate flagship which has been consistently failing to reduce emissions while being a
  34. Trade ECJ confirms legality of unfair corporate tribunals in EU trade deals 30.04.2019 The European Court of Justice (ECJ) today ruled that provisions for investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS, rebranded as ICS - Investment Court System) in the EU-Canada trade deal CETA are compatible with EU law.
  35. Climate EU Parliamentarians buckle under ExxonMobil lobby pressure The oil and gas giant keeps its lobby badges 16.04.2019 Despite strong calls from MEPs and the public, ExxonMobil and its lobby groups mobilise enough behind-the-scenes pressure to stop the European Parliament taking away its lobby b
  36. Food & agriculture Transparency for public trust? After the glyphosate scandal, EU increases transparency of food industry toxicity data 16.04.2019 After a decade of campaigning, the EU just patched a major flaw in its food safety system. The revision of the General Food Law Regulation will provide
  37. Other battles Follow the New Silk Road: China's growing trail of think tanks and lobbyists in Europe 08.04.2019 China is flexing its soft power in Europe, cultivating networks of think tanks and lobbyists, in particular to promote its flagship programme the 'New Silk Road'. Meanwhile European failur
  38. Climate Climate Arson The strategies and impact of ExxonMobil’s dangerous EU lobbying 19.03.2019 Since 2010, ExxonMobil has invested over €35 million in lobbying the European Union to delay and weaken essential climate action. With a climate catastrophe looming, is it time EU decision-makers closed
  39. Other battles Basis of Services Directive reform flawed, civil society complains to Commission 28.02.2019 In an open letter to European Commissioner Bieńkowska we've expressed the grave concerns of several civil society groups and political parties involved in running major European cities about fla
  40. Trade TTIP reloaded: big business calls the shots on new EU-US trade talks 21.02.2019 Two years after the suspension of TTIP, the EU is preparing mandates for new trade talks with the US. Once again corporate lobby groups are working to set the agenda, while the European Commission covers over its l
  41. Climate EU trade with Trump would undermine international climate commitments 18.02.2019 Today, more than 60 international, European and national civil society groups have called on European decision makers to uphold the Paris Agreement and not mandate new trade negotiations with the USA.
  42. Other battles Veto power to please lobbyists – corporations behind Commission power grab over services 14.02.2019 New documents increase concerns over the controversial reform to the Services Notification Procedure (“Bolkestein Directive”), which could radically expand EU Commission powers over nati
  43. Other battles Advance veto power would affect a huge range of services 14.02.2019 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 r
  44. Finance Captured states When EU governments are a channel for corporate interests 06.02.2019 Member states play a hugely important role in EU decision-making, but too often they act as middlemen for corporate interests. This report combines case studies, original research, and analysis to illustrate
  45. Lobbying the EU Promoting the indefensible: Saudi Arabia’s Brussels lobby shop 28.01.2019 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 abou
  46. Trade Investor privileges VS people and planet 22.01.2019 Whenever a government passes a law which could potentially affect profits, the ISDS system enables companies to hit back with lawsuits for damages - often worth billions of euros. Under the ISDS (Investor-State Dispute Settlement) system, cor
  47. Trade TAKE ACTION: Strike a blow against corporate power in 2019 22.01.2019 "Wait a minute. I don’t really get what ISDS is. ...." Here is our straightforward "What is What" on Investor-State Dispute Settlement - and why it's so dangerous. Under ISDS corporations and the rich have sued governments f

2018 48

  1. Climate COP24 reeked of Gas Wrap-up from the UN climate talks in Katowice, Poland 21.12.2018 Coal garnered much media attention, thanks to the Polish Government and US President Trump’s support. But it was the gas industry that really stunk up the conference, its influence seeping into all corners o
  2. Copyright Directive: how competing big business lobbies drowned out critical voices 10.12.2018 Lobbying around the EU Copyright Directive has been intense: big-budget tech platforms led by Google as well as tech industry trade associations on one side, historically important collecting societies, th
  3. Jakub Patočka: It’s not just Babiš. The EU must stop funding all post-communist oligarchs. 09.12.2018 Czech journalist and Corporate Europe Observatory board member Jakub Patočka explains what the rise of oligarchs and the demise of democracy in Central and Eastern Europe have to do with EU funding.
  4. Food & agriculture Conflict of interest policy and caution on gene drives at UN biodiversity talks 05.12.2018 Climate change and biodiversity losses loom large on the list of global environmental concerns. Both UN processes for adressing these issues – the UNFCCC for climate change and the UN CBD fo
  5. Food & agriculture The ‘innovation principle’ trap Industries behind risky products push for backdoor to bypass EU safety rules 05.12.2018 A seemingly innocent concept, the “innovation principle” has been invented by some of the dirtiest industries in Europe. They have carefully and strategically in
  6. Climate Big Polluters bankrolling COP24 02.12.2018 The slogan of this year's climate talks is “black to green” - appropriate, given the dirty energy companies that are bankrolling the conference. While the sponsors hide behind green branding, their core business models depend on coal, oil and gas, a
  7. Climate Coal is king at UN climate talks in Poland 30.11.2018 Concerns about corporate co-option at the upcoming climate meeting COP24 in Poland are growing as the sponsors are revealed. Many are dirty energy companies, among them several from Poland's state-owned coal industry. A repeat of the 2013
  8. Other battles Bolkestein returns: EU Commission power grab for services Q&A on the proposed EU Commission veto right over local decisions 29.11.2018 The EU institutions are currently negotiating new single market rules that could have a severe and distinctly negative impact on decision-making in par
  9. Plastic pressure Industry turns up the heat to avoid plastics regulation spurred by public demand 26.11.2018 Industry lobbies continue their push to avoid robust obligations in the EU's proposal for dealing with single-use plastics.
  10. Climate [PART 2] A dangerous distraction: Industry lobbies behind "renewable" gas The industry lobby behind so-called renewable gas 21.11.2018 Part 2 gives a first glimpse into the tactics and strategies used by the renewable gas lobby to influence Brussels decision makers
  11. Climate [PART 1] A dangerous distraction: Seven myths industry uses to sell "renewable gas" The 7 myths industry uses to sell us so-called renewable gas 21.11.2018 Part 1 dissects some of the key myths about renewable gas being promoted by industry and shows why they shouldn’t be believed.
  12. Stop the EU’s Services Notification Procedure Municipalities need democratic space to protect the interests of citizens! 14.11.2018 A coalition of more than 160 civil society groups, unions, mayors and progressive parties running major European cities has come out to oppose a controversial proposed
  13. Other battles The EU’s obstacle course for municipalism 28.10.2018 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
  14. Lobby “deluge” on titanium dioxide, while labelling is postponed 26.09.2018 To classify as strongly and widely as possible, or not to – that is the EU’s question on titanium dioxide right now. The chemical is found in many everyday items including sunscreen and paint and is a “suspected carcinogen”.
  15. Lobbying the EU Corporate capture in Europe When big business dominates policy-making & threatens our rights 24.09.2018 Excessive corporate influence over policy-making remains a serious threat to the public interest across Europe and at the EU level, warns a new report by our partner organisation A
  16. Finance How the financial lobby won the battle in Brussels 13.09.2018 Corporate Europe Observatory shows how the past ten years of financial lobbying have left us vulnerable to future crises and costly bailouts. Despite their responsibility for the 2008 crash, the financial sector has successfully a
  17. Finance Finance lobby still shapes EU agenda despite historic meltdown Analysis from 10 years of monitoring the finance lobby 10.09.2018 Ten years since the crisis - here is our wrap up of the financial lobby's role in causing the crisis and how they have since continued to fight back against people
  18. Lobbying the EU The Czech Trump: how prime minister Babiš undermines democracy Interview with Jakub Patočka 23.08.2018 The political climate in the Czech Republic has grown increasingly repressive following the election of oligarch Andrej Babiš as prime minister in October 2017. With the Czech civil
  19. Beyond the pale on Titanium Dioxide Industry fights sunscreen cancer warning label 12.07.2018 Industry lobbyists are spending millions of euros to influence an upcoming EU decision on labelling titanium dioxide – found in everyday products like sunscreen – a “suspected carcinogen”. The lobbying is l
  20. Finance Accounting for influence How the Big Four are embedded in EU policy-making on tax avoidance 10.07.2018 We pay our taxes, so why don’t corporations? The Big Four are embedded in EU policy-making on tax avoidance and this report concludes that it is time to kick this industry out of EU anti-ta
  21. Food & agriculture Biosafety in Danger How industry, researchers and negotiators collaborate to undermine the UN Biodiversity Convention 29.06.2018 Documents released to Corporate Europe Observatory following a Freedom of Information request reveal how pro-biotech lobby platform Public Research Regu
  22. Climate One Treaty to rule them all The Energy Charter Treaty and the power it gives corporations to halt the energy transition 13.06.2018 A new report from CEO and TNI exposes how the little-known but expanding Energy Charter Treaty gives corporations the power to halt the energy transition. And ho
  23. Commission protects AirBnB lobby paper as ‘commercial secret’ 12.06.2018 The European Commission rebranded AirBnB lobbying documents as ‘commercial secrets’ and therefore denied public access. After eight months of wrangling over their release, Corporate Europe Observatory can report the documents s
  24. Shutting down ePrivacy: lobby bandwagon targets Council 04.06.2018 Industry lobbyists who want to continue monetising users’ online data are battling against new ePrivacy regulations, targeting EU member states in the Council. And some member state governments are only too happy to help.
  25. Trade JEFTA: An exclusive trade between EU negotiators and big business 28.05.2018 The EU member state vote on the EU-Japan trade agreement is close, but not all interest groups had an equal say when the deal was hashed out. Official figures from the European Commission show that big business had ma
  26. Plastic promises Industry seeking to avoid binding regulations 22.05.2018 The plastics industry mounted a significant lobby campaign to influence the European Commission’s recent Plastics Strategy. With the Commission likely to publish its proposal to tackle single-use plastic products any day, will
  27. Post-scandal Facebook: will the EU stop treating the tech giant as a trusted partner? 21.05.2018 Following the Cambridge Analytica affair and the massive leak of 87 million people’s data revealed earlier this year, Facebook is facing unprecedented scrutiny of its business model. Regulators must stop
  28. Climate EU steps back from Trump & Polluters at UN climate talks But it's still not standing with the people in fighting conflicts of interest 14.05.2018 Thanks to bottom-up pressure the European Union stepped back from supporting Trump and his big polluters’ agenda, but fell short of backing calls
  29. Food & agriculture #EmbracingNature? Biotech industry spin seeks to exempt new GMOs from regulation 14.05.2018 In May 2017, the global biotech and seed industry lobby groups landed in Budapest for their annual congress. They launched a joint campaign with one key goal: to get governments worldwide t
  30. In memoriam Roel van den Bosch (1958 – 2018) 13.05.2018 Corporate Europe Observatory is in mourning over the unexpected death of Roel van den Bosch, our financial administrator, appreciated colleague and friend.
  31. UnFairbnb How online rental platforms use the EU to defeat cities’ affordable housing measures 02.05.2018 AirBnB and its allies are lobbying the EU to fight measures to protect affordable housing in cities across Europe. Our new report “UnFairbnb” looks at the way in which their Brussels lobbying un
  32. Climate Trump & Fossil Fuels or People & Planet at UN climate talks What will the EU choose as UN climate talks resume? 30.04.2018 Tackling conflicts of interest at the UN climate talks is up for negotiation: should fossil fuel interests be allowed to participate at these conferences, or even in cli
  33. Food & agriculture Visions for a new food and trade system 17.04.2018 On the occasion of the International Day of Farmers' Struggle, we have jointly with allies prepared five short visions for a sustainable, healthy and fair food and trade policy to restart this important debate.
  34. Lobbying the EU Take a virtual tour of the EU lobby world 16.04.2018 Who influences decision-making in the European Union? And how? Welcome to the complex and often shady realm of corporate lobbying, which you can now tour from the comfort of your sofa. Or while queuing for frites. Or even on the go
  35. Trade Quiet on the set! The EU is negotiating trade deals... 12.04.2018 Following calls for openness and public participation, the European Commission now advertises its trade negotiations as transparent and inclusive. But crucial information about EU trade deals are still kept from citizens. Even m
  36. Finance Financial regulators and the private sector: permanent revolving door at DG FISMA 11.04.2018 One third of the people who occupied top positions in the Directorate‑General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union (DG FISMA) during the period 2008-2017 either came
  37. Climate Open letter: EU must back efforts to tackle vested interests at UN climate talks Almost 100 groups call on EU to stop protecting fossil fuel interests at negotiations 09.04.2018 93 organisations call on EU lead negotiator, European Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete, to support efforts to tack
  38. Packaging lobby’s support for anti-litter groups deflects tougher solutions 28.03.2018 As political support for radical solutions to tackle the scourge of single-use plastics grows, we look at the links between the packaging industry and anti-litter NGOs in Brussels and beyond.
  39. Lobbying the EU Real sanctions vital to stop lobby register abuses 22.03.2018 Find out how the EU lobby register Secretariat has been dealing with CEO complaints about dodgy data, including by Monsanto.
  40. Lobbying the EU Selmayrgate: Or why the Secretary-General job matters 20.03.2018 The appointment of Martin Selmayr as new Secretary-General of the European Commission took almost everybody by surprise. This new role makes Selmayr the head of some 33,000 commission staff and, thusly, a crucial actor
  41. Climate The beginning of a Parliamentary rebellion? 25% of MEPs stands up to gas lobby 15.03.2018 177 Members of the European Parliament took a stand in Strasbourg yesterday, voting to not give EU money and political support to more than a hundred new pipelines and other gas infrastructure projects.
  42. Other battles More secrecy rights for business in the UK? No thanks! 14.03.2018 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 re
  43. Food & agriculture Will a food industry lobbyist again be appointed to EFSA's Management Board? 02.03.2018 Wouldn't it be time that the EU stops allowing a direct representation of the food industry's interests on the Board of the EU Food Safety Authority (EFSA)?
  44. Food & agriculture What the Monsanto Papers tell us about corporate science 01.03.2018 The Monsanto Papers are a trove of internal documents slowly released since March 2017 in a US lawsuit by cancer victims against Monsanto over its ubiquitous herbicide, Roundup. They tell a lot about how Monsanto
  45. EU tax officials: open door for tobacco lobbyists 22.02.2018 New research by the Tobacco Investigations Desk shows that tobacco industry lobbyists worked hard to weaken the European Commission’s stance on tobacco product taxes, while enjoying an “open door policy”, despite having signed on to an int
  46. Trade EU trade policy must be more democratic, say 162 organisations 05.02.2018 162 civil society organisations from across Europe have called for European trade policy to be made more democratic. Only a democratic and transparent process from its inception has the potential to ensure that trade and
  47. Lobbying the EU Will 2018 finally bring a revolving doors reform? 22.01.2018 The push for reform continues from within the European Parliament, from the Ombudsman’s office and from civil society. This year, two Ombudsman inquiries, a Parliament discussion on the use of transitional allowances to pre
  48. Finance ECB President Draghi’s membership of mega-bankers’ club is “maladministration” 17.01.2018 The decision of the European Ombudsman to ask the European Central Bank President to end his membership of an opaque and exclusive club dominated by financial corporations is a step towards ending a cul

2017 17

  1. Trade Dodgy Deals Uncovering the secrets of CETA 19.12.2017 The controversial EU-Canada trade deal CETA has now been provisionally applied. Our new mobile and desktop game Dodgy Deals lets players face some of the dangerous features of trade deals like CETA and shows what is at stake.
  2. Trade Big Business Brexit: Corporate interests still dominate Brexit and trade lobbying 13.12.2017 91 per cent of meetings held by UK trade ministers (10/2016 - 06/2017) and 70 per cent of meetings held by UK Brexit ministers have been with business, too often big business, interests. This corporate
  3. Lobbying the EU Ten highlights from 2017 12.12.2017 As we head towards 2018, it's important to take stock of some of this year’s highlights in our fight against the corporate capture of democracy.
  4. Lobbying the EU Corporate lobbying influence over the Council of the EU 06.12.2017 Corporate Europe Observatory has started a new workstream to publish investigations which expose corporate lobby influence over the decision-making of the Council of the EU (member states) and how this impacts on resu
  5. Lobbying the EU Juncker’s unremarkable reform of Commissioners’ ethics rules 05.12.2017 It took president Juncker over a year to propose new ethics rules for Commissioners after ex-President Barroso had shocked Europe with his new job at Goldman Sachs. A year of inaction later, the Commission is now
  6. Other battles Arms industry lobbying and the militarisation of the EU 04.12.2017 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.
  7. Other battles Arms industry lobbying in Brussels 04.12.2017 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.
  8. Food & agriculture Gene Drive Files reveal covert lobbying tactics to influence UN expert group 03.12.2017 A large set of emails - the Gene Drive Files - reveal how actors with a vested interest in the development of gene drives have organised themselves to influence the work of the relevant UN expe
  9. Lobbying the EU EU lobby register still failing to live up to transparency promise 16.11.2017 Dodgy data and missing lobby organisations still characterise the EU’s voluntary lobby transparency register. Corporate Europe Observatory has now submitted a series of complaints on specific entries, and u
  10. Other battles Is the European Commission preparing a new privatisation push? 13.11.2017 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.
  11. Climate Corporate interests still come first at UN climate talks 22.11.2017 With the 23rd edition of the UN climate talks, COP23, now put to bed, CEO takes a look at what was achieved and what's left to play for.
  12. Climate COP23: From the coal mine to the conference centre 08.11.2017 Negotiations are now underway at COP23, the 23rd round of UN climate talks in Bonn, Germany. But the day before countries sat down to the arduous task of tackling climate change, 3000 people were taking matters into their own hand
  13. Climate Polluting Paris How Big Polluters are undermining global climate policy 01.11.2017 New report exposes how the industries most responsible for climate change, especially fossil fuel TNCs, are obstructing real progress to address the climate crisis
  14. Climate The Great Gas Lock-in Industry lobbying behind the EU push for new gas infrastructure 31.10.2017 A new report from CEO shows gas industry lobbying could lock Europe into 40-50 more years of dependency on fossil fuels.
  15. Food & agriculture Screening of new Monsanto Papers - Batches released 27/28 Oct 2017 - 08.11.2017 Corporate Europe Observatory has summarised the content of several new Monsanto Papers, which were released on 27 and 28 October 2017 - more evidence of Monsanto's manipulative approach to glyphosate s
  16. Lobbying the EU Brussels’ most powerful lobbyist? Step forward BusinessEurope 21.11.2017 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
  17. Food & agriculture Beneath the Glyphosate headlines, a crucial battle for the future of EU pesticide approvals 24.10.2017 Beneath the Glyphosate headlines, a crucial battle for the future of EU pesticide approvals

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