Banks| Policies| Dodgy Deals| Campaigns
About us| Blog| Publications| Successes| Contact us| Donate
About BankTrack
Visit us
Organisation
Our team
Our board
Guiding principles
Team up with us
Jobs at BankTrack
Our annual reports
Funding and finances
History
BankTrack in the media
Our privacy policy
Donate
2023-01-23 00:00:00
Berta Cáceres: new rules for banks could help stop defender killings
2023-01-16 00:00:00
In the balance: Why European due diligence legislation must cover financial services
2022-12-08 00:00:00
Exposed: Western banks funding Qatar’s carbon bombs
2022-12-08 00:00:00
Right-wing attack on sustainable finance is the latest form of climate denial
2022-12-14 11:08:26
HSBC announces it will no longer finance new oil and gas fields
2022-10-13 15:56:39
More major banks and insurers refuse to support EACOP
2022-09-16 10:38:48
European Parliament passes emergency resolution against human rights violations & environmental threats linked to EACOP
2022-06-27 09:49:16
Crédit Agricole takes first step to phase out from the oil and gas sector
Connect
2022-11-22 00:00:00
Banking on Thin Ice: Two years in the heat
2022-11-17 00:00:00
BankTrack Global Human Rights Benchmark 2022
2022-10-21 00:00:00
Burning forests in the name of clean energy? How banks are failing to exclude the harmful wood biomass industry from finance
2022-06-28 00:00:00
The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP): Finance Risk Update No. 3
2022-04-05 00:00:00
The BankTrack Human Rights Benchmark Asia
2022-03-30 00:00:00
Banking on Climate Chaos 2022
See all publications
Browse
Home
Banks
Policies
Dodgy Deals
Campaigns
About
About BankTrack
Donate
Contact BankTrack
Publications
Victories
Follow Us
News
BankTrack blog
Facebook
Twitter Fossil Banks No Thanks Twitter Fossil Banks No Thanks Instagram
Affiliate Websites
Fossil Banks No Thanks
StopEACOP
Forests & Finance
Banks & Biodiversity
Drop JBS
Bank of Coal
Don't Buy into Occupation
Home › News
Worst EU Lobbyists 2010 revealed- RWE, Goldman Sachs and ISDA
Start
Banks
Dodgy Deals

By: Friends of the Earth Europe et.al.
2010-12-02
Brussels

Contact:

Paul de Clerck, Friends of the Earth Europe (EN, NL, FR) Tel: +32 494 380 959

Olivier Hoedeman, Corporate Europe Observatory (EN, DK, NL) Tel: +32 474 486545

 

Nina Katzemich, LobbyControl (EN, DE) Tel: +49 221 169 6507 / +49 179 509 3022

Sam Fleet, communications officer, Friends of the Earth Europe, (EN) Tel: +32 2893 1012 / +32 470 072 049


Share this page:

Go to:
Start
Related Banks
Related Dodgy Deals

RWE (npower), Goldman Sachs and derivatives lobby group ISDA have been given the dubious honour of being named the Worst EU Lobbyists of 2010. The results of the dual climate and finance categories of the Worst EU Lobbying Awards 2010 were revealed today during a ceremony outside the ISDA office in Brussels.

Citizens across Europe participated in an online public vote for the most deserving of the climate and finance nominees. Voters sent a clear message to EU transparency and ethics Commissioner Maroš Šefcovic that a major clean-up of the Brussels lobbying scene is urgently needed, and it's time the European Commission put public interest above the commercial interests of large companies .

In the climate category , German energy giant RWE's subsidiary npower, nominated for claiming to be green while lobbying to keep its dirty coal- and oil-fired power plants open, won with 58% of the total vote. BusinessEurope, nominated for its aggressive lobbying to block effective climate action in the EU while claiming to support action to protect the climate, took second place with 24% of the total votes and Arcelor-Mittal, the steel Industry "fat cat", came in third with 18% of the total votes.

Nina Katzemich, speaking for the organisers of the 2010 Worst EU Lobbying Awards, said: "These awards show that people around Europe are fed up with deceptive lobbying practices used by big business when it comes to climate regulation. RWE claims to be green but has pulled out all the stops to keep its dirty power plants open, promoting their profits over public interests. If the European Commission is serious about tackling climate change, it must stop listening one-sidedly to corporations. It can make a new start - now, in Cancun."

In the finance category , Goldman Sachs and derivatives lobby group ISDA, nominated for aggressive lobbying to defend their ‘financial weapons of mass destruction', took first place with 59% of the total vote. Royal Bank of Scotland (23%) took second, nominated for secretly lobbying in Brussels and for exploiting insider contacts. Hedge funds and private equity lobby groups AIMA and EVCA (18%) took third, nominated for deceptive lobbying to block regulation of damaging speculation in the financial sector.

Paul de Clerck, speaking for the organisers of the 2010 Worst EU Lobbying Awards, said: "Despite the unprecedented crisis following the financial meltdown, intense lobbying by large banks and investment firms continues to delay and seriously water-down much-needed regulatory reforms. While people around the world are suffering severe consequences, corporate lobbyists are blocking any measure that could limit the massive profits of banks. This is unacceptable. We call on the

European Commission to put an end to the privileged access granted to big business, for instance limiting their access to EU advisory groups on future financial regulation."

The awards are part of an ongoing campaign to expose and counter dirty lobbying tactics and privileged access impacting on EU decision-making. For more information about this year's nominees, and to follow future developments, please visit: www.worstlobby.eu

 

Notes to the editor:

The Worst EU Lobbying Awards 2010 are organised by Friends of the Earth Europe, Corporate Europe Observatory, LobbyControl, Spinwatch. For more information about the organisers, and the partnering organisations: http://www.worstlobby.eu/2010/about

Almost 8,000 voters sent the message to Commissioner Maroš Šefcovic: "The firms and lobby groups nominated for the Worst EU Lobbying Awards 2010 have been able to undermine EU policies for combating climate change and regulating the financial sector. We urge you to take the necessary steps to ensure that the European Commission puts the public interest above the commercial interests of large companies."

The Climate category is supported by: Climate Action Network-Europe, Oxfam, World Development Movement.

The Finance category is supported by: ATTAC, World Development Movement.

 

 

Go to:
Start
Related Banks
Related Dodgy Deals

Related banks

Goldman Sachs United States

active

NatWest Group United Kingdom

active
Go to:
Start
Related Banks
Related Dodgy Deals

Related Dodgy Deals

Companies

active

RWE Germany

Biomass Electric Power Generation | Coal Electric Power Generation | Coal Mining | Commodities Trading | Nuclear Electric Power Generation | Solar Electric Power Generation | Wind Electric Power Generation
There are no companies active for this item now.
Browse
Home
Banks
Policies
Dodgy Deals
Campaigns
About
About BankTrack
Donate
Contact BankTrack
Publications
Victories
Follow Us
News
BankTrack blog
Facebook
Twitter Fossil Banks No Thanks Twitter Fossil Banks No Thanks Instagram
Affiliate Websites
Fossil Banks No Thanks
StopEACOP
Forests & Finance
Banks & Biodiversity
Drop JBS
Bank of Coal
Don't Buy into Occupation
Vismarkt 15
6511 VJ Nijmegen
The Netherlands

Tel: +31 24 324 9220
Contact@banktrack.org
©2016 BankTrack                Webdesign by BankTrack and EASYmind
BankTrack is a registered charity in the Netherlands (ANBI) - RSIN 813874658
Find our privacy policy here

Stay up to date

Sign up now for all BankTrack's news


Make a comment

Your comment will be reviewed, before being posted