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An Open Letter to Commissioner Kuneva regarding concerns about potential conflicts of interest of her Special Adviser Pat Cox Dear Commissioner Kuneva, We are writing to you to express our concern about the potential conflicts of interest of Mr Pat Cox, who acts as your Special Adviser on “Communication and Strategy for Consumers on citizens”.

With just days to go before the European Parliamentary elections, concerns about the role of industry lobbyists in EU decision-making - and the lack of transparency and ethics - have become an issue in election debates in several countries. These are just some highlights.

This week, the Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS) meets to set new standards for "responsible soy". This new certification scheme could be accepted by the EU as adequate to guarantee that certified soy is suitable for use as an agrofuel in Europe.

Despite well-publicised concerns about the damaging social and environmental impacts of large-scale agrofuel production, the European Union continues to provide incentives to promote their development, including through public funding for research. This article highlights how industry is now benefiting from research funding, having helped the EU write its Strategic Research Agenda, setting the criteria for research.

A few weeks ago, in our ‘Inside the Brussels Bubble’ blog, we wondered how many of the MEPs not standing for re-election would go through the revolving door into new jobs as industry lobbyists.

The Danish government, which will host the crucial UN climate summit in December, wants to create an alliance with big business to promote an ambitious international climate agreement. As a result, it it has helped facilitate what may be this year’s biggest climate lobbying event: the World Business Summit on Climate Change in Copenhagen from 24 - 27 May.

A few weeks ago, in our ‘Inside the Brussels Bubble’ blog, we wondered how many of the MEPs not standing for re-election would go through the revolving door into new jobs as industry lobbyists.

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Action against WWF support for Monsanto GM toxic soy at headoffice WWF-Netherlands