Press conference: What's in a Promise? Assessing if the Commission has tackled corporate dominance in its Expert Groups

Publication date: 
Monday, October 28, 2013
Start date: 
Wed, 2013-11-06 13:30
Location: 
Salon Room, International Press Centre, Résidence Palace (Rue de la Loi 155C)

Join us for a press conference to discuss our newest report exposing the corporate dominance of the Commission's expert groups.

ALTER-EU, AK EUROPA – the Brussels office of the Austrian Federal Chamber of Labour (Arbeiterkammer), and the Austrian Trade Union Confederation (ÖGB) invite you to a press conference for the launch of their new report which conclusively answers if the European Commission has kept its promise to MEPs – made in September 2012 – that it would tackle corporate capture in its advisory groups, aka Expert Groups.

Speakers:

- Pascoe Sabido (ALTER-EU)

- Dennis De Jong, MEP (GUE)

- Nadja Salson (European Public Services Union; member of the Platform for Tax Good Governance)

- European Commission (Invited)

- Monika Kosinska – Chair (Secretary General, European Public Health Alliance; member of the Stoiber Group)

Event starts at 13.30 for lunch; 14.00 for the debate.

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ALTER-EU reports have shown many of the Commission's Expert Groups, which play an influential role in advising on European legislation, have been dominated by big business interests at the expense of SMEs, trade unions and civil society organisations.

The latest research assesses all new Expert Groups created in the past year, when the Commission committed to reform, to see if it is keeping its promise. As well as highlighting the worst and best DGs and groups, three case-studies (on tax havens, data privacy and the eurocrisis) will provide concrete examples of the Commission's efforts.

Hear the author of the report present fresh evidence, the experience of MEPs fighting for improvements, first hand accounts of civil society members of important expert groups and the Commission's own assessment.

Please RSVP to pascoe.sabido@corporateeurope.org