Initial steps towards restricting food speculation

15 January 2014

New finance directive lays out improvements, but loopholes remain

Food speculation by banks and financial institutions has contributed to rapid and unpredictable swings in food prices over recent years, with devastating impacts on poor people in developing countries. The European Union will introduce new regulations which take small steps towards curbing the financial speculation on food crops, according to Friends of the Earth Europe, after a deal was struck last night between the European Parliament and Greek EU Presidency.

19 December 2013

Curbs on food speculation victim of corporate greed

Food speculation by banks and financial institutions continues to contribute to rapid and unpredictable swings in food prices. Yet, corporate lobbying on the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) – which sets new regulations for financial markets – has undermined attempts to curb this destructive practice, according to Friends of the Earth Europe. This will allow speculators to continue profiteering at the expense of the world's most vulnerable.

5 December 2013

Paradise lost: land-grabbing in Indonesia

Activists from Friends of the Earth Europe and Indonesia have completed an awareness-raising tour of Europe, bringing their experiences of environmentally and socially destructive palm-oil production in South East Asia, to the continent most responsible for financing it. Palm-oil companies, often with the backing of European investors, have been involved in land-grabbing, deforestation and the illegal production of palm-oil in Indonesia, according to Friends of the Earth Europe.

All news for this issue
    • Agriculture

      Food and farming in Europe and its global impacts

    • Agrofuels

      Plant-based fuels from agriculture. Also known as biofuels

    • Biodiversity

      Species and habitat protection in Europe and around the globe

    • GMOs

      Genetically modified crops and organisms

    • Land

      Measuring Europe’s land footprint and tackling the drivers of land grabbing

    • Biodiversity

      Species and habitat protection in Europe and around the globe

    • Extractive industries

      Oil and gas exploration, and mining

    • Land

      Measuring Europe’s land footprint and tackling the drivers of land grabbing

    • Tar sands

      Unconventional oil, also known as oil sands

    • Water use

      Measuring Europe’s water footprint