FoE Europe - Corporate Accountability

What's new?

Poison Fire
Watch our film about Gas flaring in Nigeria NEW

Greenwashing by oil and gas group OMV
More information and our complaint to the JEP (29 May 2008) NEW

Complaint against Burson-Marsteller
Friends of the Earth Europe complains to the Belgian government (7 May 2008) and to EPACA (8 April 2008) Read more

New coalition releases report against ArcelorMittal Read more

Friends of the Earth Europe files a complaint against Cabinet of Mr. Mandelson
Read more (30 April 2008)

Action at launch of Shell's 'Energy Scenarios to 2050'
Exhibition displays the reality of Shell's operations (07 April 2008)

shell_exhibition

Secrecy and corporate dominance ALTER-EU study on composition and transparency of European Commission Expert Groups (25 March 2008)

European Commission fails to act on conflicts of interests
ALTER-EU says the new Communication on ethics is far too weak ( 06 March 2008)
- Read the press release
- Read the critique on the background study Regulating Conflicts of Interest for Holders of Public Office in the European Union

Stop Greenwashing the Economy!
Action and exhibition exposing greenwashing at the 6th European Business Summit
(21 February 2008) Read more

Commission backtracking on lobby transparency
ALTER-EU rings alarm bell
(13 February 2008)
- Read the letter to Commission president Barroso
- read the press relase

Saab warned to withdraw 'greenwash' ads or face legal challenge Read more
Read the text of the summons sent to Saab in English and in French (10 January 2008)

Malaysian plam oil industry condemned for greenwashing
'Sustainable palm oil' advert false, says watchdog (January 2008). Read more

read more here

News, publications and statements

Hellfire Economics
Multinational companies and the contract dispute over Kashagan, the world's largest undeveloped oilfield (December 2007). Read more
Kashagan oil field development
Toxic chemicals linked to development of the Kashagan oil field in Kazakhstan are polluting the Caspian Sea environment and damaging the health and livelihoods of local communities (5 December 2007) Read more
Worst EU Lobbying and Greenwash Awards 2007
German car trio and nuclear lobby shamed for worst lobbying and worst greenwashing in Europe
(04 December 2007) Read more
ExxonMobil's slick Greenwashing
FoEE with the support of 644 signatories ask the Belgian government to take down Exxon's misleading advertising at Brussels Airport (19 Nov 2007)
- read the complaint
- see the signatories
- read more
Too close for comfort: The relationship between the biotech industry and the European Commission

An analysis (October 2007)
Greenwash Confronted -
Misleading Advertising Regulation in the EU and its Member States

new report (26 Sept 2007)
Extractive Industries: Fact Sheets

Climate Impacts EN, FR, SK, RU, PL, LT, LV, ET
Financing EN, FR, SK, RU, PL, LT, LV, ET, CS
Gender Issues EN, FR, SK, RU PL, LT, LV, ET, CS
Mining EN, FR, SK, RU, PL, LT, LV, ET, CS
Oil and Gas EN, FR, SK, RU, PL, LT, LV, ET, CS
Social Impacts EN, FR, SK, RU, PL, LT, LV, ET, CS
FoEE complains to European Ombudsman
European Commission fails to provide requested documents on meetings with car industry
(25 September 2007)
Kashagan Oil Field Development: NGOs express grave concerns about environmental, health and social impacts
- Letter to EU Commissioner for Energy, Andris Piebalgs (21 September 2007)
Misleading television advertising of the Malaysian Palm Oil Council: "Gift from Nature, Gift for Life"
- Complaint to the Advertising Standard Authority (25 July 2007)
ExxonMobil's public relations strategy and funding policy
- letter to ExxonMobil (10 July 2007)

Shell told to stop the "greenwashing" -
Complaint about misleading advertising accepted
- Read press release (05 July 2007)
- Read complaint (08 May 2007)
- Read more about Shell's greenwash

ExxonMobil's misleading advertising -
Complaint to the Jury d'Ethique Publicitaire in Belgium for 2 advertisements in the European Voice (09 July):
- "Taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions"
- "Values at work"
- Read more about Exxon's Greenwash
Forest fires, deforestation and illegal activities in Indonesia - the involvement of the world's biggest trader in palm oil
- read report 'Policy, practice, pride and prejudice (03 July 2007)
- read report ' Buyers and financiers of the Wilmar Group' (03 July 2007)

The mud volcano in Sidoarjo, Indonesia:
Major international banks finance catastrophic mud volcano - read more

NGOs call for action on European Parliament's resolution on CSR: joint NGOs letter to the European Commission (30 May 2007)
A fifteen-metre high flare at Shell headquarters
- read Milieudefensie's press release (03 May 2007)
- watch video of protest

People & Power - Green Fields and Gas
Watch VIDEO about farmers in Ireland fighting against a Shell pipeline (27 April 2007)
Gas flaring in Nigeria: Tina and Ifie report - Watch the VIDEO
Corporate Social Responsibility: the European Parliament will vote on greater accountability for corporations - press briefing by the European Coalition for Corporate Justice (09 March 2007)
ALTER-EU: Forthcoming Communication on the European Transparency Initiative
- letter to all Commissioners (07 March 2007)
- letter to Commissioner Kallas (13 March 2007)
- media brief: Crunch time for EU lobbying transparency (20 March 2007)
Friends of the Earth Europe participates in a fact finding delegation and public hearing to investigate human rigths case in Ireland regarding controversial Shell Refinery/Pipeline project (26 Feb 2007)
Shell: Use your profit to clean up your mess! New report about damage to the environnment and communitites inflicted by Shell (31 Jan 2007)

Complaint in relation to EPACA's code of conduct - conflict of interest or appearance of conflict of interest constituted by Mr David Earnshaw
- Official complaint by Friends of the Earth Europe to the European Public Affairs Consultancies Association (EPACA) about the pharma lobbyist David Earnshaw, for taking on an "independent expert" role for the European Parliament (30 November 2006)
- Letter to the Chairman of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety regarding a Conflict of interest of independent expert to the ENVI Committee - David Earnshaw (30 November 2006)
- Mr Earnshaw's reaction to the complaint (5th December)
- FoEE reaction to Mr Earnshaw's letter (13th December)
- EPACA's response to the complaint (21 Dec 2006)
- FoEE's position on EPACA's rejection of the complaint (24 Jan 2007)

ExxonMobil and DG Internal Market win Worst EU Lobby Awards 2006 (13 Dec 2006)
Closing speech at the award ceremony
Message to Mandelson and Finnish Presidency: Stop privileged access of services industry lobbyists (29 November 2006)
G10 letter to DG Employment & Social Affairs, DG Enterprise and Industry: The Green 10 explain that they have no confidence that participation in the new multi-stakeholder on CSR would result in any meaningful progress towards a regulatory approach for Corporate Accountability and therefore decide not to participate (29 November 2006)
Give us real CSR, not just hollow Public Relations - statement at EU Finnish Presidency CSR conference (22 Nov 2006)
EU Commissioners in Bed with Business - Action outside the annual back-pat of the Confederation of European Business (UNICE), attended by six European Commissioners and called "Why do companies care about Europe?" (17 October 2006)
ALTER-EU and the Seattle to Brussels Network (S2B) press conference demanding meaningful lobbying disclosure and transparency and a fundamental change in the EU trade policy (16 October 2006)
FoEE submission to the European Transparency Initiative:
- Lobbying (July 2006)
- Consultation (July 2006)
- EU Funding (August 2006 - a joint NGO contribution)

Transparency in EU decision making: reality or myth?
Do EU consultation practices and codes of conduct for decision makers and lobbyists contribute to transparency and ethical decision making?
An analysis (May 2006)

CSR flyer, distributed at the event to launch the European Commission's pro-business "European alliance for Corporate Social Responsibility" (March 2006)
Green 10 position on lobbying in the EU (February 2006)

Who benefits from GM crops? Monsanto and the corporate-driven genetically modified crop revolution (Jan 2006)
- Executive summary
- Full report
- Key facts