Select your winner in Europe’s debut ‘Worst EU Lobbying’ awards 2005!

Corporate Europe Observatory in association with LobbyControl, Spinwatch and Friends of the Earth Europe invites you to vote for this year’s most offensive case of corporate lobbying in the EU capital Brussels. 

This is your opportunity to decide which of the ten nominated cases of dubious lobbying deserves to be remembered as the most ruthless influence peddler, the fastest spinner of spin, the grand master of disguise, in short who will become the EU Worst Lobby Award 2005 champion!  Go to: http://www.corporateeurope.org/worstlobby/

Recommended listening:

File On 4: "Lobbying the EU"

"Brussels has 15,000 lobbyists whose job is to try to influence European policy. But does a lack of regulation and transparency allow them and their corporate clients too much influence over the decisions that are made?" 

Listen to File On 4: BBC Radio 4, Sunday 28 November, 2005 at 1700 GMT.

Or download the programme (MP3 15 Mb)

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/radio4/fileon4/fileon4_20051122-2000_40_st.mp3

 

Comments

[Lobbyist]

And the winner is: Campaign for Creativity.
See: http://www.eulobbyaward.org/?showcontender=1

Shrewd in its claim to represent artists, musicians, designers, engineers and software developers the ‘Campaign for Creativity’ (C4C), was set up to lobby Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to vote for US-style software patents , which will grant large corporations stronger intellectual proprerty rights over software. Behind its grassroots mask lies a campaign orchestrated by Simon Gentry of London based public affairs firm Campbell Gentry, supported by software giants like Microsoft and SAP. Gentry’s pedigree as a successful agent for corporate lobby’s is top quality. Previous associations include involvement in the shameful industry campaign for patents on life on behalf of SmithKline Beecham.

Deception and innovation should guarantee the Campaign for Creativity a top place in this year’s Worst Lobby Awards. Tactics have included giving out free ice creams to MEPs on a hot afternoon and sailing around the canals of Strasbourg in a motorised yacht like a modern pirate. Vote now to demask this fake NGO.

http://www.corporateeurope.org/lobbycracy/prc4c.html