Member states play a hugely important role in EU decision-making, but too often they act as middlemen for corporate interests. This new report by Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) combines case studies, original research, and analysis to illustrate the depth of the problem – and what you can do about it.
Many of the ways in which member states feed into EU decision-making are shrouded in secrecy and not commonly studied. CEO new report “Captured states: when EU governments are a channel for corporate interests” breaks new ground by providing an overview of how member states act as a channel for corporate influence, whether it is in the Council of the European Union (where member states’ ministers and officials input into EU law-making and policy-making); the European Council (where the heads of government of EU nations make pronouncements on the EU’s direction of travel); or the EU’s committee structure (which provide member states with key seats at the table to discuss the technical and scientific detail of EU laws).
This report alerts civil society and decision-makers to the threat that corporate lobbies, influencing member states, have on EU decision-making. To start to reverse this, action will be needed by governments, national and regional parliaments, and the EU institutions. In particular, we urgently need new models for citizens to both find out more about, and have a say on, the EU matters with which member states are tasked with deciding. Check out the ‘What you can do’ section of the report for immediate steps and tips on how to investigate the EU’s ‘Captured states’.
Download the full report.
