PHM-Exch> Corporate capture

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: David G Legge <dlegge at phmovement.org>


Tansey, R. (2018). "Corporate capture in Europe: When big business
dominates policy-making and threatens our right." Retrieved 2 Feb, 2019,
from
https://www.alter-eu.org/sites/default/files/documents/corporate_capture_web_1.pdf.


This report examines the extreme and undue influence of big business on
European Union (EU) and member state decision-making processes. It has been
produced by the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation
(ALTER-EU) as a response to the distortions we witness in policy and law
making at EU-level and across member states.

It shows how corporate capture has been behind the lack of action in the
aftermath of the financial crisis, with banking regulation that continues
to allow mega-mergers of banks, failing to tackle the “too big to fail”
problem (see case study one). Similarly, the arms industry has influenced
the agenda and objectives of the EU’s defence programs (see case study
seven).

The phenomenon of corporate capture is not, however, limited to the EU
level.

ALTER-EU’s broad membership has witnessed and challenged corporate capture
of various national governments. Dieselgate, for instance, exposed the
intimate connections between the German government and its national car
industry, and how the German government acted as vehicle for the industry’s
influence at EU level (see case study eight). Too often we find member
states acting on behalf of their biggest national industries in Brussels,
taking shelter under Council secrecy and avoiding public accountability.

Corporate capture in Europe» includes eight case studies from the EU level
and member states:

·         The Banking Sector – Kenneth Haar, Corporate Europe Observatory

·         Trade Policy and the Case of TTIP – Paul De Clerck, Friends of
the Earth Europe

·         The Gas Industry – Myriam Douo, Friends of the Earth Europe

·         Tax Policy in the Netherlands – Jasper van Teeffelen, Lobbywatch

·         The Pharmaceutical Industry – Rachel Tansey, Freelance writer and
researcher

·         Data Protection and Privacy Policies - Léa Caillère Falgueyrac,
Freelance researcher

·         The Arms Industry - Bram Vranken, Vredesactie

·         Dieselgate and the German Car Industry - Nina Katzemich,
Lobbycontrol

Beyond the case studies, the report intends to help readers to analyse and
exposes other situations of capture and makes recommendations on how to
start rolling back excessive corporate power.
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