toxic chemicals EU lobbyists

Toxic Chemicals and EU lobbyists

UNACCOUNTABLE EU LOBBYISTS

EU proposals for regulations (called REACH) to test thousands of chemicals produced by industries that are getting into everything from mothers' breast milk to the blood of polar bears, is being stymied by chemical industry lobbyists in Brussels. Progress towards a democractic EU political process and administration is being undermind by the rule of lobbyists - lobbocracy.

How much has industry invested in destroying the original REACH proposal over the last four years, directly and through trade associations, PR firms, contributions to think tanks and other various means? Certainly enough to have made a their chemicals manufacturing a lot safer than they are, had they chosen the ethical path. They have by far outspent those who are defending environment and health protection.

Financial power, the REACH experience shows, enables corporations to exert an undue, excessive and illegitimate influence over EU policy-making. To get a clearer picture of how much industry has spent on obstructing REACH, the NGO Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) wrote to 35 Brussels-based public affairs companies that are offering services to the chemical industry. The list of firms includes Hill and Knowlton, Edelman, Burson-Marsteller and the rest of the top-10 global PR giants. They were asked for "an overview of the clients for which your firm in the last 12 months has provided PA/PR services on the proposed EU system for Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH), the relevant budget and towards which EU institutions the efforts were directed."

The request was first e-mailed, followed by a reminder by fax a week later. A month later, only three out of the 35 firms had replied. Metzdorff & Associates responded that they had not conducted any work for any client on REACH, A.T. Kearney responded that the questions did not apply to the type of services they provide, whereas Single Market Ventures explained they are not a public relations or lobby firm, but only do analysis and research. None of the other firms bothered to reply.

The willingness of Brussels-based public affairs firms to provide transparency about who they are lobbying for is clearly non-existing. FtC agrees with COE that there is a dire need for lobbying disclosure legislation, which would oblige firms to report on lobbying activities, including issues and aims, clients and budgets, meetings and correspondence with officials. It would allow the general public access to key information needed to facilitate more effective public scrutiny of EU decision-making.

FtC June 2005