Let the Games begin: one month to European Elections

Let the Games begin: one month to European Elections

Opinion, Views
  In less than a month, on 6 to 9 June, Europeans will go to polling stations to vote on the composition of the next European Parliament, which will hold office for the upcoming five years (2024-2029). Given the current political shift towards the right in most EU Member States, the upcoming elections are likely to be a turning point in European politics. After the last plenary session of the current Parliament a couple of weeks ago, MEPs have left for their home countries either not to come back or to do their best to be re-elected. Goodbyes, tears, and current polls MEPs met for the last time in Strasbourg in April with a busy agenda of 90 votes. They approved trilogue agreements, such as the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, the…
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EU 2024: Half-way there, the sprint begins   

EU 2024: Half-way there, the sprint begins   

Opinion, Views
There are three months left before this year’s EU elections on 6 to 9 June. By the end of March, a complete list of Spitzenkandidaten for the top European Commission job should be finalised. Since January, the pace of weekly political and legislative developments in Brussels has not slowed down. Previously contested laws such as the Nature Restoration law have been finalised, while others including the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive have been held hostage. The last two-month sprint begins before the last Plenary session of the current Parliament on 22 to 25 April. No slowing down In the course of February and the beginning of March, almost all European groups, that recognise the Spitzenkandidaten process, have put forward their candidates for the role of the next European Commission president.…
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Riding the right wave – what will the upcoming shift in the European political landscape mean for civil society?

Riding the right wave – what will the upcoming shift in the European political landscape mean for civil society?

News, Opinion
While the European Parliament elections are still almost a year ahead, recent polls and national developments in Europe demonstrate that we may be dealing with a more conservative Parliament during the next EU mandate (2024-2029). Hard-right Hungary and Poland have recently welcomed Italy into their ranks, while Finland and Sweden have formed right-leaning governments after recent elections. The Greek conservatives were re-elected in government last June, and upcoming elections in Spain are expected to oust socialist Pedro Sánchez from office as well. What does this shift to the right mean for advocacy at EU level? Setting the scene While, according to the recent polls, EPP and S&D will remain the two biggest parties in Parliament (with respectively 161 and 142 MEPs), a close race for the third place has already…
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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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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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#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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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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