07May 2023 by Joost Mulder
BRUZZ International – At the heart of European lobbying

BRUZZ International – At the heart of European lobbying

In the media, Opinion
Better Europ's Yiorgos Vassalos is discussing the new book by Jean Comte « Au cœur du lobbying européen », on BRUZZ International. Yiorgos explained that "only 20% of lobbyists in Brussels work for NGOs that care about the environment, or human rights, or about development. This creates a structural problem with EU policies -- when they are made, the interests of big corporations are much more taken into acccount than the interests of citizens."
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24Feb 2023 by Joost Mulder
Brace yourself – elections are coming: Advocacy opportunities in 2023

Brace yourself – elections are coming: Advocacy opportunities in 2023

News, Opinion
While the European Parliament elections might still seem far away, recent developments reveal that the election season has already begun. Since the Qatargate scandal rocked the Parliament, political parties are publicly accusing one another in an effort to polish their image – a clear indication that the gates of the electoral arena have been opened. With the start of the election season, the time is right to look at the anticipated changes and plan your next advocacy steps. What is going to change? According to the latest polls of December 2022, five out of seven political groups are expected to lose seats in the next legislative period. Only the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) are foreseen to substantially win seats, although not as many as their national equivalents in some…
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31May 2018 by Joost Mulder
#askalobbyist

#askalobbyist

In the media, Opinion
Is lobbying a corporate affair? Lobbying and advocacy - is it all the same? What are the strenghts and weaknesses of NGOs, associations and businesses, and what can they learn from each other? (more…)
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31Jan 2018 by Joost Mulder
HLEG Sustainable Finance – waiting for the Commission’s Action Plan

HLEG Sustainable Finance – waiting for the Commission’s Action Plan

News, Opinion
Today, the EU High-Level Expert Group (HLEG) on Sustainable Finance published its final report. It's a key step but not the final one - the Commission's Action Plan on sustainable finance, due early March 2018, is where we will see which recommendations will be transformed into EU policy initiatives. The final HLEG report (PDF) published on 31 January 2018 widens the scope of sustainable finance beyond environment and climate change to social issues (although governance issues seem to be left out). (more…)
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