published by on Friday 17 Oct 2008

Corporate Europe Observatory today (Friday 17th October) urged European Commission President José Manuel Barroso to intervene in the close relationship developed between DG Trade and representatives of big business, which the organisation says results in trade policies that are damaging the world’s poorest and the environment.

The call follows new research from Corporate Europe Observatory which reveals the close involvement of the European employers’ federation, BusinessEurope, in drawing up the Global Europe trade strategy, launched by former Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson in late 2006.

The report highlights how representatives from BusinessEurope were given privileged access in the preparations of the new strategy, with exclusive meetings with the former Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson and top officials from DG Trade [1].  

As a result the strategy focuses on many of BusinessEurope’s key demands, including a new, more aggressive push for bilateral trade deals to break open new markets in emerging economies and secure access to raw materials, all for the benefit of large EU-based corporations.

Corporate Europe Observatory campaigner Pia Eberhardt said:

“The Global Europe Strategy has BusinessEurope’s fingerprints all over it. It is a strategy which has been designed with big business, for big business, with devastating effects for the poorest and the world’s environment.”  

“The Global Europe strategy and the excessive influence of big business lobbyists on EU trade policies are part of the flawed heritage of Peter Mandelson’s four years as Commissioner.”

Corporate Europe Observatory has written to Commission President Barroso to urge him to end the privileged access and big business capture of EU trade policy, which violates the Commission’s principles on consultation. They also point out that civil society organisations were denied access to much of the information discussed with BusinessEurope [2].

Corporate Europe Observatory is also challenging the close involvement of the Commission in a forthcoming BusinessEurope conference on the Global Europe strategy [4]. The supposedly “independent” event is being hosted in DG Trade’s Charlemagne Building, and a number of Commissioners are scheduled to speak.  Corporate Europe Observatory says it is unacceptable for the event to be held in the Commision’s Trade headquarters and calls upon Barroso to scale down the Commission’s presence.

Pia Eberhardt continued: “DG Trade has clearly opened its doors and invited BusinessEurope in.  This close relationship is undemocratic and unacceptable.It is time such practices came to an end.” 

Contact: Olivier Hoedeman,  + 31-20-6127023 and mobile +31-645460007

Notes:
[1] Global Europe: An Open Door Policy For Big Business Lobbyists At DG Trade, a research paper by Corporate Europe Observatory, published on 17 October 2008.  See: http://www.corporateeurope.org/docs/GlobalEurope-OpenDoors.pdf

[2] The letters refers to how NGOs and trade union representatives were consulted on the Global Europe strategy at just one meeting in 2006, while business lobby groups, and in particular BusinessEurope had a series of meetings with officials at DG Trade right from the initial drafting stage through to the on-going implementation. The final text on the strategy closes reflects many of the demands made by business.  See:  http://www.corporateeurope.org/docs/letter-to-barroso-businesseurope-200...

[3] http://www.businesseurope.eu/Content/Default.asp?PageID=538

Helen Burley
Communications Officer
Corporate Europe Observatory
tel + 44 117 941 4231
mobile + 44 7703 731923
Skype HelenBurley