‘Worst EU Lobbying’
Award 2005
Nominees

Below you find short explanations about each nominee, with links to more extensive information. Every voter could vote for just one nominee.

Votes
 
85%
7035
Campaign for Creativity
Nominated as a fake NGO brilliantly disguising corporate demands as grassroots concerns
5%
418
ExxonMobil
Nominated for its generous funding of think tanks that deny EU action against climate change is needed.
2%
206
European Partnership for Energy and the Environment (EPEE)
Nominated for determination to bash EU climate legislation
2%
181
European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC)
Nominated for being an effective ‘Crooked Enemy oF Informed Consumers’
2%
130
European Patients’ Forum
Nominated for representing pharmaceutical corporations rather than patients.
1%
114
New Defence Agenda
Nominated for being the arms industry’s ‘weapon of mass disinformation’
1%
84
SEAP and EPACA – the lobbyists’ lobbies
Nominated for their work to keep the public in the dark
0%
72
European Services Forum
Nominated for successfully using its privileged access to EU trade officials to determine the EU’s trade agenda
0%
49
Bromine Science and Environmental Forum (BSEF) and PR firm Burson-Marsteller
Nominated for fighting fire with smokescreens
0%
36
Houston Consulting Europe
Nominated for arranging marriage between big banking lobbyists and Members of the European Parliament
Total votes: 8325
 
 
 
 
 
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Houston Consulting Europe

Nominated for arranging marriage between big banking lobbyists and Members of the European Parliament

This nomination honours a carefully calculated emerging trend: the creation of parliamentary forums which bring business lobbyists together with elected representatives. A potentially award winning advocate is Brussels-based lobbyist John Houston for his role running the European Parliamentary Financial Services Forum (EPFSF). The EPFSF brings together Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and lobbyists from Deutsche Bank, Citigroup, Société Générale and numerous other financial services giants. Their success was quoted in the Wall Street Journal, who describe how banking lobbyists used the EPFSF to water down the EU Money Laundering Directive, voted on in May this year.

We invite you to gate crash this party with your vote by awarding them the present of ‘Worst EU Lobbying’ Award 2005.

NOTE

On the request of Mr. John Houston, chairman of Houston Consulting, we provide a link to a letter that Mr. Houston had published in the Belgian edition of the Wall Street Journal on 1 June 2005. In his letter, Mr. Houston claims that the Wall Street Journal article is misleading and not factual.

However, the Wall Street Journal Europe strongly dismisses Mr. Houston’s claims. According to the paper, they have determined that the article by Glenn R. Simpson was indeed accurate; the publication of Mr. Houston’s letter did not constitute a rectification by the paper, but was simply Mr. Houston’s opinion published as the result of Mr. Houston exercising his right of reply available under Belgian law.

Links to more information

  • Legislators With Close Ties To Industry Water Down Money-Laundering Rules, by Glenn R. Simpson, The Wall Street Journal Europe, May 24 2005
  • Letter by John Houston, replying to the above article, 1 June 2005

Voters said about this nominee:

This is the worst lobby, because the EU-parliament is manipulated worst by lobbys – this being a prime example.

I think it’s more dangerous than C4C which is obviously a disinformation instrument.

wegen dem Verdacht der Förderung der Korruption

banks are the most dangerous of all

Banks are awfull dangerouis and should be watched garefully!

I can’t bear the banks who defend tax havens. It’s simply a shame!

Politic must be clear of money…

I find them particularly disgusting

banks get too much interests and people become slave