[fse-esf] Fighting Corporate Power at the EU

[Owen]

Dear all, 

There is an important battle going on at present over how corporations
are able to influence the EU, how they set the agenda, and the balance
of legislation is made to favour big business not people and the
environment. 

With an estimated 15,000 lobbyists roaming the corridors of power in
Brussels, far too often, the interests of big business wins out over
people and the environment in EU legislation. These lobbyists operate in
almost complete secrecy, allowing no place for public scrutiny of the
role they play in influencing public institutions. Using deceptive
lobbying tactics, spin, green wash and many other dubious means Brussels
is rapidly becoming a lobbycracy. 

However, in the wake of the French and Dutch No referenda, which widely
rejected an ever increasingly neoliberal EU, there is a window of
opportunity to roll back the corporate onslaught. After joint work by
over 240 NGOs, trade unions and activist groups demanded action on
lobbying transparency, the Commission has launched a transparency
initiative, which it claims will bring transparency. 

The lobbyists initially caught off guard by this surprise announcement,
have since rallied round and presented proposals which might give the
appearance of transparency, but will do little to allow much needed
public scrutiny of the effects of lobbying in Brussels. The Commission
has largely adopted their proposals. 

Since the launch of the transparency initiative, over 140 NGOs, Trade
Unions and activist groups have formed ALTER-EU, [the Alliance for
Lobbying transparency and Ethics Regulation at the EU] to fight to make
the transparency initiative truly an opportunity for Europe to become a
people's europe not a corporate europe. 

The fight is on, and we need your help, sign on to the ALTER-EU
statement and show that your group supports much stricter regulation of
the army of lobbyists in Brussels. The more groups show their support,
the stronger our voice will be in demanding an EU not only run but seen
to be run in the interests of people and the environment not big
business. 

Together we can show that another europe is truly possible!

To sign onto ALTER-EU's founding statement go to:
www.alter-eu.org/statement 
To read more about the dubious tactics lobbyist employ vist
www.corporateeurope.org or www.eulobbyaward.org 
Or take a tour of the lobbying hotspots in Brussels at
www.eulobbytours.org

In Solidarity, 

Owen Espley
 
Campaigner
Corporate Europe Observatory
De Wittenstraat 25 
1052 AK Amsterdam 
Netherlands  
Tel:+31-20-612-7023
Fax: +31-20-6861208
Mob: +31 (0)647576743  
Web: www.corporateeurope.org
Skype: owenes

Discover the secretive world of lobbying in Brussels by taking a virtual
tour of the EU quarter: www.eulobbytours.org