A ruling by the European Ombudsman today that the European Commission should make its processes on revolving doors cases ‘more robust’ to avoid conflicts of interest, has been welcomed by Friends of the Earth Europe, Corporate Europe Observatory, Greenpeace, LobbyControl and SpinWatch. The verdict of the European Ombudsman comes two years after a group of NGOs …
New Commission sidelining environment
The line-up of new European Commissioners nominated to be the European Union’s most senior civil servants for the next five years was announced yesterday. The roles given to the team of 28 representatives – one per EU member country – include significant changes in portfolios compared to the outgoing Commissioners. The responsibilities for climate action …
Giant Trojan horse protests against EU-US trade deal
Today was the first date on Friends of the Earth’s ‘Trojan Treaty’ tour – a European tour of a giant Trojan horse to raise awareness of the threats posed by the secret EU-US trade talks. The first stop on the tour was Copenhagen. Friends of the Earth Denmark/NOAH inflated the eight metre high Trojan Horse …
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Leaked trade document exposes dangerous EU energy proposal
A leaked European Union document published today by the Washington Post exposes the dangerous direction the trade deal between the U.S. and the EU is taking when it comes to raw material and energy. The leaked position paper reveals that the proposed trade deal – the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP – could …
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UN backs move to make businesses accountable for human rights abuses
Friends of the Earth International and other social movements today celebrated a long awaited victory that has set in motion a mechanism to meet the demands of human rights defenders, and challenge corporate power. The time had finally come to move away from voluntary guidelines for businesses on human rights, and towards a legal framework …
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Circular economy must focus on land and water
A raft of measures which aims to make Europe use resources more wisely was announced in Brussels today. The proposals are insufficient, according to Friends of the Earth Europe, given the scale of Europe’s resource wastage and its impacts on the rest of the world. The European Commission’s ‘Circular Economy Package’ covers a broad spectrum …