Representing interests (more commonly known as ‘lobbying’) is a complex profession founded on a simple choice: either you try to convince and build consensus via mediation, or you work to impose one side’s view upon the other. The European Union, so long a beacon of mediation, is slowly drifting towards the second option. This is… » read more
Posted by Daniel Gueguen
Les mystères du Parlement européen (Première partie)
July 18, 2018
L’on n’ignore pas les défaillances techniques du Parlement européen. Je parle des bâtiments de Bruxelles. Faut-il les rénover ? Les restaurer ? Les reconstruire ? Un vent favorable nous transmet une note sûrement confidentielle qui examine chacune de ces trois options et en évalue le coût. Pour une « simple » rénovation il faudrait compter… » read more
Posted by Daniel Gueguen
Everyone knows the European Parliament (EP) is deficient in terms of technical knowledge, but let’s forget that and talk instead about the Parliament buildings in Brussels. Do they need to be renovated? Restored? Or rebuilt? This month a friendly bird dropped onto our desk a memo – undoubtedly intended to be confidential – that examines… » read more
Posted by Daniel Gueguen
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EU, EU Commission, EU Council, EU Parliament, European Agencies , Brussels, EU Commission, EU Council, EU Parliament, Lobbying |
In EU law-making, cliché wins over science and facts
April 20, 2018
There is a kind of inevitability when the Commission uses its right of legislative and regulatory initiative. The more the process is framed by impact assessments, consultations and scientific opinions, the more the EU moves towards a subjective approach to law and regulation. Today, it is clichés, conventional wisdom and public opinion that rules in… » read more
Posted by Daniel Gueguen
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Agriculture & Food, Commission, EU Commission, European Commission, European Parliament, european union, Glyphosate , EU Commission, EU Parliament, European Commission, Glyphosate, Lobbying |
The EU game of musical chairs
February 28, 2018
When you are a senior civil servant or politician, can you apply for any position? Or does each post demand specific qualities? Recent news provides us with several striking cases. The best case: Martin Schulz After being elected for a second two-and-a-half year mandate as European Parliament President, Mr Schulz ran for Commission President as… » read more
Posted by Daniel Gueguen
Peut-on quand on est un haut fonctionnaire postuler à toutes les fonctions ? Ou chaque fonction exige-t-elle des qualités spécifiques ? L’actualité récente nous offre maints exemples frappants. The best case : Martin Schulz Elu pour un second mandat de 2,5 ans, M. Schulz se déclare candidat à la Présidence de la Commission et se… » read more
Posted by Daniel Gueguen
Consultation procedures: inclusiveness in disguise?!
February 16, 2018
Three cases show the lack of analysis of contributions to consultations and make the distrust in the system grow Progress on Better Regulation without a doubt,… Since the adoption of the Better Regulation package in 2015 and the adoption of the Inter-institutional Agreement on Better Law-making in 2016, progress has been made in terms of… » read more
Posted by Daniel Gueguen
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BetterRegulation, EU Commission, European Parliament, european union |
Christmas break: the time to… regulate under the radar
December 21, 2017
Like every year, the European Commission has a habit of tabling proposals for secondary legislation just before the winter holidays. In the past week, delegated acts on the generalised scheme of tariff preferences and a track and trace regime for tobacco products were adopted, meaning the scrutiny period at the European Parliament and Council will… » read more
Posted by Daniel Gueguen
Glyphosate: a European scandal?
December 1, 2017
That is what the newspaper Le Monde asserts, without any question mark, on the front page of its 28 November edition, just a few hours before Member States gave a positive opinion. According to Le Monde, the scandal would have been the Commission forcing glyphosate through without a qualified majority from the Appeal Committee. “This… » read more
Posted by Daniel Gueguen
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EU, EU Commission, European Agencies, European Commission, European Parliament, european union, Glyphosate , EU, EU Commission, European Agencies, European Parliament, Glyphosate |
Brexit, one year on
June 28, 2017
What strikes me most, 12 months into the Brexit process, is the preparedness of some and unpreparedness of others. Methodical preparation in Brussels After lengthy meetings with officials in the European Council’s Brexit taskforce at the end of August 2016, I was amazed by their in-depth knowledge of the ins and outs of Article… » read more
Posted by Daniel Gueguen
In these times of complexity, opacity and political correctness, speaking openly is now more important than ever.
