Under the Influence: The Distorted Priorities of the French EU Council Presidency
A Presidency prepared in close collaboration with the French corporate sector which is setting a policy agenda that strongly reflects business demands.
That is the verdict of Corporate Europe Observatory and Observatoire des multinationales in their new report “Under the influence: the distorted priorities of the French EU Council Presidency”, published in the run up to the start of the French Presidency on 1 January, 2022.
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Allô Bercy? Corporate Welfare in a Time of Pandemic
The French government offered unprecedented financial support to businesses in response to the Covid pandemic, and large corporations of the CAC40 stock index have greatly profited from it. With very few strings attached, whether in terms of dividend payouts or of climate commitments.
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Who’s after the French “Citizens’ Climate Convention”?
In our latest report, we lift the veil on the large-scale and particularly violent lobbying offensive against the proposals of the French Citizens’ Climate Convention.
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Multinationals Dissected
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Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield
A global shopping centres giant that has the ear of local politicians.
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L’Oréal
The global cosmetics giant knows how to keep up appearances, but can it be trusted?
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ST Microelectronics
The semiconductor giant, born of the merger of Italian and French state-owned firms, is incorporated under Dutch law with headquarters in Switzerland.
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Worldline
A global leader in payment services, built through successive acquisitions and restructuring
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Renault
Ghosn scandal, Covid-19, pollution standards, Russia... The automotive group has had to face several crisesin recent years, and its workers have been the first to pay the price.
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BNP Paribas
’Systemic’ mega-bank, funder of controversial industries, facilitator of speculation and tax avoidance... A financial giant at the centre of criticism.
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Crédit agricole
Funding of fossil fuels, financial speculation... Is the "green bank" all that green?
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Legrand
Based in Limoges, the electrical equipment heavyweight keeps a low profile but knows how to cultivate its market power.
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Our investigations
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Finance lobby’s risky plans for post-Brexit Europe exposed
Any future EU-UK trade agreement post-Brexit will have to deal with the financial sector; and the long-term consequences of such a deal could be dire.
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The EU and the Corporate Impunity Nexus
This report investigates the disturbing alignment of the EU with corporate lobby groups at the UN.
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Total: An Illusion of Climate Strategy
Total likes to present itself as a responsible business with a strategy for dealing with climate change, but its actions are completely at odds with effective action to tackle the climate crisis.
All issues
Our Commitment: investigate abuses of corporate power, and their remedies