Multinationals’ clandestine lobbying revealed
Thursday, 24 April 2008
Twenty eight leading multinational companies have their own lobbying office in the European Parliament. MEPs have allegedly been involved in secret lobbying without informing their groups, according to information released today in the Conference of Presidents meeting in Strasbourg.
Green party leader Monika Frassoni informed her colleagues about unethical lobbying in the European Parliament, and it was decided by a majority vote to ask the College of Quaestors to put an end to The European Parliament and Business Scheme’s activities.
MEPs have been handpicked to serve business interests under the leadership of the Spanish Vice President, Vidal-Quadras, Chairman of The European Parliament and Business Scheme (EBPS); assisted by a Parliamentary board including John Bowis (EPP-ED), Lena Ek (ALDE), Angelika Niebler (EPP-ED), Edit Herczog (PES), Manuel Medina Orterga (PES) and Dirk Sterckx (ALDE).
Big players are involved, namely, Gas de France, Telefonica, Thalys, British American Tobacco, Unilever, Ericsson and Microsoft, but are not the only ones.
EBPS was set up by former President of the European Parliament, Pat Cox, now a top business consultant and President of the International European Movement. Mr Cox is currently campaigning for a Yes to the Lisbon Treaty in the Irish referendum foreseen for June 12, 2008.
The European Parliament shall decide about lobbyism –a hot political topic– in the mini session in Brussels on May 8. This is also the last voting day for the President of the Independence and Democracy Group, Jens-Peter Bonde, who was recently elected president of EUD –a political party at European level aimed at improving democracy and transparency in the EU.
Bonde was quoted as saying: “I have asked the Parliament’s leadership to establish a full investigation on how this secret working group could be established behind the necks of all group leaders”.