The EU’s response to the financial crisis and the escalating eurocrisis has led to sweeping austerity measures and privatisation of public services. Corporate lobby groups see their longstanding demands implemented overnight at the expense of social rights, environmental regulation and public services.
The EU’s emphasis on free markets and deregulation in the last two decades was a crucial factor in causing the current crisis. These flawed policies were heavily influenced by corporate lobbying, reflecting how big business had captured the policy-making processes in Brussels and in member states. Following the crisis, the power of the financial lobbies - and their easy access to decision-makers - has ensured that only limited regulation has been introduced.
Speakers:
Speaker on 'lobbying for austerity': the industry lobby offensive for harsh neo-liberal policies in the context of the crisis
Speaker (tbc) on how the banking lobby controls decision-making on regulating financial markets
Gildas (AITEC): how corporate lobby influence undermines democracy in France and what can be done about this
Olivier Hoedeman (Corporate Europe Observatory) on corporate capture of EU decision-making and citizens campaigning to challenge this
Speaker from TNI on strategies for reigning in corporate power as part of the struggle to reclaim democracy in Europe