Greenwash and lies - lobbying unacceptable

News from Europe
use of safe recycled plastics in food packagingThe European Commission has adopted a new regulation to ensure safety of food packaging made of recycled plastics. This new action sets the conditions under which the manufacturers of food contact materials can use recycled plastics.

Write to your MEP about lobbying..corporate self interest is so blatant that there is a need for this to be regulated and people must be aware what is going on!

EU lobbying transparency a step closer but still some way to go
On 25 March 2008, the transparency group Alter-EU has accused the Commission of relying too heavily on business and industry lobbyists when drawing up EU legislation. In reaction, the Commission has said it will publish a list of individual experts who sit on its advisory groups by the summer. But, a European Parliament committee would like the EU to go further and called for a mandatory register of the estimated 15-20,000 lobbyists.
http://www.epha.org/a/2976

Expert Group on ‘Coal combustion, clean and efficient coal technologies, CO2 capture’

The Commission should not be party to a pact with companies in the policy-making arena where corporate self-interest is so obvious. These are companies with a clear profit motivewhen it comes to defining the concept of ‘clean coal’and how it can be developed. This isa hugely controversial environmental and social issue. A truly objective and indeed allroundeffective Expert Group should comprise of a large portion of independent scientists,research institutions, national administrations and environmental groups. These actors,with companies fromthe sector would bemore likely to assess the real capabilities andlimits of the ‘clean coal alternative’as ameans of addressing global warming.The current composition of this Expert Group is not acceptable. The Commission shoulddissolve it and form a new one. The onus is on the Commission to informthe publicabout the role played by this group so far.70
[9]ECCP working group on the integrated approach to reduce CO2 fromlight duty vehicles
All info availlable at:http://circa.europa.eu/Public/irc/env/eccp_2/library?l=/light-duty_vehicles/

11]corporate controlled no (commission,member states, ACEA, KAMA, JAMA)Super-visory group of the voluntary commitments of car manufacturers to reduce CO2emissions

[23]coporate controlled Alternative fuels Based on the findings of this study the authorsmake the following recommendations to the European Commission.The European Commission ought to reform the mechanisms by which it accesses expertise. It should ensure such mechanisms are both transparent and operate fairly.For the latter to be the case, different points of viewmust be balanced against oneanother where impartial scientific advice is sought in an atmosphere immune fromcorporate capture. Taking the following steps in relation to the Expert Groups would bea long overduemove in this direction:
1.Disclosure of Expert Groupmembership and key documents;2.Full transparency around the launch of new Expert Groups;3.Open and fair processes around the application for and selection ofmembership;4.Strong safeguards against privileged access and unbalanced composition of these groups;5.Dissolution of all Expert Groups controlled by industry (or any other special interests);6.A broad review on the composition of all Expert Groups by the Commission’sSecretariat General