Battle For Corporate Investment Rights
New investment powers, granted to the EU Commission under the Lisbon Treaty, will still allow multinational companies to claim compensation when national laws designed to protect the environment or public health damage their profits, according to proposals put forward by the EU Commission last week. Following an intense lobby campaign from industry and EU member states led by Germany and the UK, the Commission has opted to protect the status quo.
No transparency - two years on
The European Commission's lobby register has failed to bring lobbying into the open in its first two year, ALTER-EU said today
A red light for consumer information
The food and drink industry has invested more than €1 billion in a lobby campaign to block an EU-wide traffic light labelling scheme for food products. MEPs are due to vote on the new legislation - will they listen to industry or act in the public interest?
Venture ventriloquists
New research from Corporate Europe Observatory reveals how investment fund lobbyists used small businesses as a front to lobby MEPs in the on-going battle over financial regulation.
Bursting the Brussels Bubble - New Book
A new book from ALTER-EU - Bursting the Brussels Bubble: the battle to expose corporate lobbying at the heart of the EU - reveals how lobbyists from the world of big business have embedded themselves inside the European Union's decision-making prcess, creating a political culture where behind closed doors, the influence of business has become the norm. It also highlights how campaigners have sought to challenge the corporate capture of EU politics - and sets out a way forward to build a more democratic and accountable European Union.
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Global opposition to 'responsible' soy
A proposed new label for ‘responsible’ soy will not stop deforestation, 235 civil society groups from across the globe warned in a letter today, ahead of a conference set to finalise the labeling scheme in Sao Paulo, Brazil
The People vs. Goldman Sachs
The US investment bank Goldman Sachs is earning a reputation as public enemy no. 1 in the financial world. At the same time the firm is one of the Commission’s favourites when it comes to asking for advice on regulating financial markets. It is high time for the Commission to close the door on Goldman Sachs.
Industry hits carbon leakage jackpot
Industry is currently claiming that a 30% climate emissions reduction target will result in carbon leakage - because companies will be forced to relocate from Europe. New research from CEO shows how heavy industry has already succeeded in using this argument to lobby for free permits under the Emissions Trading Scheme - and how companies including Arcelor Mittal and Lafarge have made windfall profits as a result.