Balanced expert groups

Who’s driving the agenda at DG Enterprise and Industry?

Publication date: 
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Author: 
The Austrian Federal Chamber of Labour, the Austrian Trade Union Federation and ALTER-EU

ALTER-EU will present its new report providing an analysis of DG Enterprise and Industry’s expert groups on July 10. The report shows how corporate interests dominate a significant proportion of expert groups, while other interests groups, such as civil society groups, labour unions and small and medium enterprises are hardly heard.

Download full document as pdf: 
PDF icon Invitation_expertgroup_presslaunch.pdf
Document types: 
briefings & info sheets
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Balanced expert groups
 

Letter to European Parliament's Budget Committee: MEPs should reject lifting reserve on expert groups budget (English and French version attached)

Publication date: 
Monday, May 7, 2012
Author: 
Yiorgos Vassalos

On 8 May, the Budget Committee will vote on the European Commission's request to lift the reserve of two million Euros for meetings for expert groups. (Transfer of Appropriations No DEC 05/2012) The European Commission is requesting that this reserve is lifted without any of the conditions set by the European Parliament being fulfilled [...].

Download full document as pdf: 
PDF icon ALTER-EU Letter to Budget Committee, 8 May vote.pdf
PDF icon ALTER-EU Letter to Budget Committee 8 May FR.pdf
Document types: 
open letters
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Balanced expert groups
 

Can Consumers & Taxpayers Be Saved From The Bonus-Crazed Financial Sector?

Publication date: 
Friday, April 6, 2012
Author: 
Ian Fraser
Media title: 
Economy Watch

[I]t emerged in 2009 that the Internal Market Directorate General had been "totally captured" by the financial sector. The extent of the infiltration became apparent after ALTER EU published a report, which revealed that the then acting commissioner, Charlie McCreevy, had effectively outsourced law-making to the vested interests.

Link to original article: 
http://www.economywatch.com/economy-business-and-finance-news/can-consumers-and-taxpayers-be-saved-from-the-bonus-craved-financi
Campaign: 
Balanced expert groups

Brussels University debate about EU lobbying with ALTER-EU panelist

Publication date: 
Monday, April 2, 2012
EU interest representation
Start date: 
Mon, 2012-04-23 18:00
Location: 
Institute for European Studies Karel Van Miert Building Conference Room Rome Pleinlaan 5 1050 Brussels

With the MEP cash-for-amendments scandal still fresh in our minds and the launch of the Citizens’ Initiative imminent, this debate is timely.

Listen to and discuss with diverging voices about lobbying, transparency and democratic legitimacy in the EU. Special attention will be paid to the role of social media in interest representation.

Panel discussion and lecture part of the Mini Lecture Series on Interest Representation in the EU Internal Market of the 'Vrije Universiteit Brussel'.

Panel participants:

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Balanced expert groups
 

Finance Watch – a lobby to break the lobbies

Publication date: 
Friday, February 24, 2012
Author: 
Harald Schumann
Media title: 
Der Tagesspiegel

"What started it off was a phenomenon seen only after the financial crisis broke in autumn 2008. [...] At the same time, it emerged that the European Commission and its Internal Market Directorate General had been thoroughly infiltrated by the financial industry."

Link to original article: 
http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/1542771-finance-watch-lobby-break-lobbies
Campaign: 
Balanced expert groups

National ombudsman from the Netherlands and BEUC talk on EU expert groups

Alex Brenninkmeijer's presentation
Publication date: 
Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Alex Brenninkmeijer, the national ombudsman from the Netherlands and Anne Fily, head of economic and legal department of the European Federation of Consumer Organisations (BEUC) gave presentations on European Commission's expert groups in a hearing in the European Parliament.

PDF icon brenninkmeijer.euexpertgroupsdef.pdf
PDF icon ep_hearing_on_expert_groups_beuc_presentation.pdf
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Balanced expert groups

Shedding light on expert groups

Publication date: 
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Author: 
Yiorgos Vassalos and Fabian Spoerer

ALTER-EU took part in a ground-breaking hearing in the European Parliament - initiated by Dennis de Jong MEP (GUE/NGL), co-organised by the EPP, S&D, ALDE and Greens - looking at problems with the European Commission's expert groups. 

Download full document as pdf: 
PDF icon egsephearing.pdf
Document types: 
briefings & info sheets
Campaign: 
Balanced expert groups
 

More needed to break financial industry’s stronghold

Publication date: 
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Author: 
CEO

Assuming that DG Markt’s data are the most recent and accurate, the balance has clearly improved, but corporate interests still dominate, with 49 representatives from “private firms and industry associations” [...] in DG Markt expert groups.

Download full document as pdf: 
PDF icon dg_markt_expert_groups.pdf
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Balanced expert groups

NGO welcomes move to block funding for EU 'expert groups'

Publication date: 
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Author: 
Martin Banks
Media title: 
TheParliament

[ALTER-EU] has welcomed a decision by MEPs to block budget funding for the European commission's expert groups.

Link to original article: 
http://www.theparliament.com/latest-news/article/newsarticle/ngo-welcomes-move-to-block-funding-for-eu-expert-groups/
Campaign: 
Balanced expert groups

Parliament blocks expert groups' budget until safeguards against their capture by special interests and increased transparency are introduced

Publication date: 
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Press release issued by: 
The Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER-EU)

The Plenary of the European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favour of freezing part of the budget for the European Commission's expert groups until new rules are introduced to provide safeguards against their capture by special interests and to improve transparency.

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Balanced expert groups
 

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