Global Europe
The EU's trade policy aims to increase the competitiveness of European companies - by guaranteeing them access to the world's raw materials, opening new markets through free trade deals and by making sure that regulations at home do not stand in their way. CEO is challenging this craze for competitiveness, which we believe advances the interests of corporate Europe at the expense of social and environmental justice.
Across the world, corporate lawyers have taken full advantage of an unjust investment regime to make multinationals sue sovereign governments for millions of Euros. At great personal financial gain, they have actively pursued cases, exploited loopholes and created an explosion in the number and costs of dispute settlement cases - with devastating social, environmental and budgetary impacts for sovereign states and ordinary people. A new briefing paper by CEO and TNI shines a light on their vested interests.
How do you see the EU’s Raw Materials Initiative?
I see it as a strategy which is solely in the interest of big business in Europe, which wants to get access to raw materials – at any cost and despite the damaging impact that this can have on indigenous communities, the environment and working class people. That’s what the strategy is about.
On 30 June, the European Parliament’s industry, energy and research committee (ITRE) is due to vote on the EU’s Raw Materials Initiative, establishing guidelines for Europe's future policy on natural resource use. The Parliament’s report could effectively give the green light to mining in protected European nature reserves as well as a resource grab in Asia, Africa, the Americas and the Arctic.
Brussels, 27 June 2011 – Europe's future strategy on access to raw materials – due to be voted on in the Parliament on Thursday 30 June – is being shaped by MEPs with vested interests in related industry sectors, a new report from Corporate Europe Observatory, published today, reveals.
Madi Sharma, a member of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), which was set up to advise the EU institutions, described the talks as “wrong and non-transparent”. Sharma, who is the EESC's lead person on a report looking at the FTA, is also a businesswoman, who trades with India. She presented her "preliminary considerations" for the report in a meeting in Brussels on 11 April.
Corporate lobbying triggered an angry debate in the European Parliament’s committee on international trade (INTA) on 13 April, following Carl Schlyter MEP's interview with Corporate Europe Observatory. Talking about his role as rapporteur for the European Parliament on the future of EU member states' bilateral investment treaties, Schlyter had said he had never seen such an extreme example of MEPs focusing solely on big business interests. His comments were heavily criticised by MEPs from the European People's Party (EPP) who defended the importance of listening to industry lobbyists.
Next week, MEPs are due to vote on a report from the Parliament’s international trade committee (INTA) about Europe’s international investment policy – giving guidelines for the rights of foreign investors under future EU trade deals. The vote follows fierce attempts by law firms, industry and member states to enshrine the right of foreign investors to challenge national laws that affect their profits. As a result, European member states could soon find domestic laws challenged by foreign companies – and politicians will have no powers to intervene.
Brussels, 31 March 2011 – EU member states – and taxpayers – are risking legal action from foreign companies as a result of new international investment policies currently being discussed by the EU. A new report by Corporate Europe Observatory, Investment Rights Stifle Democracy, highlights how industry lobby groups, law firms and member states acting in their interest have manipulated proposals in order to weaken safeguards for governments and citizens [1].
Swedish MEP Carl Schlyter (Green) has told Corporate Europe Observatory that lobbyism is the main reason why the EU makes bad policies. Interviewed about his role as rapporteur for the European Parliament on the future of EU member states' bilateral investment treaties, he spoke about the corporate counter attack on his report, MEPs tabling amendments for industry and governments and about why he turned down requests for meetings with corporate lobbyists.
Brussels, 15 February 2011 - Lobby watchdog Corporate Europe Observatory is suing the European Commission in the EU’s General Court for withholding documents related to the EU’s free trade talks with India. The Commission is accused of discriminating in favour of corporate lobby groups and of violating the EU's transparency rules.
Pages
Corporate Europe Observatory
Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) is a research and campaign group working to expose and challenge the privileged access and influence enjoyed by corporations and their lobby groups in EU policy making.
