Balanced expert groups

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The Commission’s advisory groups provide expert advice on specific issues, which is often used to shape new policies or even to form the backbone of new legislation. The Commission’s reliance on advice from big business within these groups has been criticised, with MEPs urging action to ensure more balance.

Asymmetric Patterns in the Civil Society’s Access to the European Commission: The Cases of DG FISMA and DG TRADE

Publication date: 
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Author: 
Giuseppe Montalbano
Media title: 
International Series on Public Policy

This chapter investigates the various factors that enable competing corporate and non-corporate organized interests to gain access to the European Commission’s policy-definition venues. It hypothesizes that, while economic relevance and lobbying resources ensure privileged access for business representatives at large, and in particular for the large European associations and firms, non-corporate organized groups improve their chances of access when the policy issues they address—together with the objectives they strive for—gain a sufficient degree of public and political salience.

Link to original article: 
Article
Snapshot original article (pdf): 
PDF icon Asymmetric Patterns in the Civil Society’s Access to the European Commission_ The Cases of DG FISMA and DG TRADE - Springer.pdf
Campaign: 
Balanced expert groups

How to improve troubled 'Expert Groups

Publication date: 
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Author: 
ALTER-EU, BirdLife International, European Environmental Bureau, Transparency International

It's make or break time for the European Commission's advisory groups, known formally as Expert Groups. Vice President Frans Timmerman plans to bring out new horizontal rules to make the groups more balanced and more accountable, but will he listen to the concerns of the public?

Download full document as pdf: 
PDF icon follow_up_letter_to_timmermans_on_expert_groups_final.pdf
Document types: 
open letters
Campaign: 
Balanced expert groups
 

Public interest groups demand consultation on weak new rules for EU advisory groups

Publication date: 
Tuesday, February 23, 2016

A coalition of civil society groups working on lobbying transparency and ethics regulations have called on European Commission Vice President, Frans Timmermans, to wait until the European Parliament and the public have had a chance to comment before introducing new rules on advisory groups, formally known as Expert Groups.

Download full document as pdf: 
PDF icon open_letter_to_commission_on_expert_groups_-_final.pdf
Document types: 
open letters
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Balanced expert groups
 

Who advises the European Commission?

Publication date: 
Monday, September 1, 2014
Roundtable panel discussion
Start date: 
Mon, 2014-09-08 18:30
Location: 
Permanent Representation of Austria to the EU, 1st floor 30, Avenue de Cortenbergh, 1040 Brussels

Does big business really have privileged access to the European Commission? Why do corporate interests still dominate expert groups? What actions will the European Parliament take to better involve trade unions and civil society? Come to our event to find out!

Campaign: 
Balanced expert groups
 

A Year of Broken Promises: Big business still put in charge of EU Expert Groups, despite commitment to reform

Publication date: 
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Author: 
Pascoe Sabido, Corporate Europe Observatory

Commission still putting big business in charge of key advisory groups, despite promise to reform

Download full document as pdf: 
PDF icon Broken_Promises_web.pdf
Document types: 
reports & studies
Campaign: 
Balanced expert groups
 

New research reveals Commission still puts big business in charge of key advisory groups, despite promising reform to MEPs

Publication date: 
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Press release issued by: 
The Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER-EU)

New report shows the Commission is still giving big business privileged access to dominate advice in important areas like data privacy, tax dodging and the eurozone.

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Balanced expert groups
 

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