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Balanced expert groups

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The Commission’s advisory groups provide expert advice on specific issues, which is often used to shape new policies or even to form the backbone of new legislation. The Commission’s reliance on advice from big business within these groups has been criticised, with MEPs urging action to ensure more balance.

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

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

[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.

Brussels University debate about EU lobbying with ALTER-EU panelist

Publication date: 
lundi, April 2, 2012
EU interest representation
Start date: 
lun, 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:

 

Finance Watch – a lobby to break the lobbies

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

"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."

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

Alex Brenninkmeijer's presentation
Publication date: 
mercredi, 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.

Shedding light on expert groups

Publication date: 
jeudi, 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: 
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