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See coverage in Euractive (German, English), Qualenergia.it (Italy), lamarea.com (Spain).
While many corporations, investors, citizens and scientists are demanding more urgent policy action on climate change – it’s been business as usual for EU lobbyists.
A new report from InfluenceMap assesses eight key industry associations on their lobbying across a range of EU climate and energy policies from 2015 to the present, finding a significant pattern of opposition to ambitious climate policy.
Powerful EU automotive trade group ACEA was found to have been the most oppositional, owing to an aggressive campaign against efforts to establish ambitious vehicle CO2 standards under the EU Clean Mobility Package between 2017-2019. On the other hand, positive signals are coming from Eurelectric, the Brussels group that represents the electric utility sector, following a transformation of its lobbying positions over the last 3-5 years.
InfluenceMap’s research was conducted in the wake of the European Commission’s long-term strategy document, ‘A Clean Planet for All’, released in November 2018, which sets out the possibility of net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. Such a strategy entails a significant review of EU climate and energy policy during the next 5-year term of the EU Commission.
It also responds to increased scrutiny from key institutional shareholders on climate lobbying by corporate trade groups against the ambitions of the Paris Agreement. Following a challenge by institutional investors led by the Church of England Pension Board, Sweden’s AP7 and BNP Paribas Asset Management major European companies including BASF, Glencore, RWE, Shell, Equinor and Heidelberg Cement have reviewed, or have committed to review, their trade group memberships in 2018-2019. All these companies have links to trade groups covered in the report.
