Kenneth Haar

🎥 Film screening + debate 🎥

What: special preview screening of CEO's new doc on community resistance to the EU's green hydrogen drive. Followed by a debate + drinks 🍻
Where: Mundo Matonge, BXL
When: 19h00
With: @rosaluxstiftung.bsky.social @counter-balance.bsky.social @attacdeutschland.bsky.social

Não este tipo de Europa, por favor Precisamos do envolvimento cívico para livrar Bruxelas da mania da desregulamentação que domina a agenda actual, colocando as pessoas e o planeta em perigo.

You can also read @kennethhaar.bsky.social 's oped in 🇵🇹, 🇪🇸, 🇬🇧 (below)

"Precisamos do envolvimento cívico para livrar Bruxelas da mania da desregulamentação que domina a agenda actual, colocando as pessoas e o planeta em perigo", lê aqui o artigo em Pt no @publico.pt

www.publico.pt/2025/09/18/a...

No esa clase de Europa, por favor Necesitamos la participación ciudadana para librar a Bruselas de la manía desreguladora que domina la agenda actual y pone en peligro a las personas y al planeta.

"Necesitamos la participación ciudadana para librar a Bruselas de la manía desreguladora que domina la agenda actual y pone en peligro a las personas y al planeta", puedes leer el artículo de @kennethhaar.bsky.social en @elsaltodiario.com en castellano.

👉 www.elsaltodiario.com/tribuna/no-c...

Not that kind of Europe, please | Corporate Europe Observatory We need civic involvement to rid Brussels of the deregulation mania that dominates the current agenda, putting people and planet in peril. Op ed by Kenneth Haar.

If your Czech, Portuguese and Castillian are rusty, you can also read it in English 👉 corporateeurope.org/en/2025/09/n...

We need civic involvement to rid Brussels of the deregulation mania that dominates the current agenda, putting people and planet in peril. Op ed by @kennethhaar.bsky.social .

‘Climate action is too costly’: how the far right and big business are weaponising social instability to block progress Far-right parties and industry lobbies across Europe exploit economic insecurity to undermine climate policies, claiming a choice between green transition and social justice. But researchers stress bo...

Can you have both social justice and tackle climate change?

Of course.

But the European far right is spreading the myth
that we have to choose (actually, they want neither).

Great piece from VoxEurop @stellalevantesi.bsky.social with contributions from me/CEO.

voxeurop.eu/en/climate-a...

How trade tariffs and deregulation go hand in hand | Corporate Europe Observatory Listen to the brand new podcast episode, where Kenneth Haar discusses the link between the announced trade tariffs from the USA to the EU and deregulation.

Before 1 Aug. the EU has to do a trade deal with Trump to avoid steep tariffs on exports.

Tough language is used, but the EU is actually giving big concessions.

Understand what is going in from our latest podcast, and see examples below

corporateeurope.org/en/2025/07/h...

The Trump camp have put unacceptable demands to the EU for him to cool the trade war: deregulate to please US corporations. Unfortunately, some of it fits hand in glove with the EUs own deregulation agenda.

Hear me talk to my great colleagues Joana and Marcella about that in this podcast.

On the left of this cartoon is a small box labelled ‘small company’ with an arrow labelled ‘over-declares lobby spending’. Below this is a large box labelled ‘massive company’ with an arrow which says ‘under-declares lobby spending’. On the right is a distorted picture of a man with a tie holding a briefcase and it is labelled ‘EU lobby register – A distorted picture of lobbying’. Cartoon by @CartoonRalph.

In Feb we & @lobbycontrol.bsky.social complained about likely under- & over-reporting in EU lobby register.

Secretariat has now come back with outcome which shows €47 millions-worth of changes

💶 €2,450,000 added
💶 €23,145,000 taken off
💶 €22,150,000 removed

corporateeurope.org/en/complaint...

Today it was announced that the far right group Patriots for Europe will be in charge of the European Parliament's negotiations on the 2040 climate targets.

Well. What could possibly go wrong.

Worth noting, that without the support from conservative EPP group, the far right would be check-mate.

On the wider #Chemicals Industry Action Plan, it seems clear that the toxics industry will be celebrating

1/2 We've made it to Strasbourg 🇫🇷🥖🧀 👔

Tomorrow @corporateeurope.org will be in the EU Parliament for a preview screening of our new documentary 🎥 The Scramble for Hydrogen in South Africa 🎥 See the teaser here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=AATC...

If you're in Strasbourg, join us! Deets below

Military spending splurge ‘risk factor’ for EU economy, says Denmark - Euractiv Stephanie Lose told Euractiv that Europe’s defence build-up must be combined with “wise decisions” to lower debt and deficit levels.

There is a strong chance we will see severe cuts in welfare across the EU in the coming years. Many member states already in dire straits, and now comes a wave of rearmament spending

The Danish EU Presidency began last week. They will not be of any help, for sure

www.euractiv.com/section/econ...

New data on top recipients of EU research funding in recent years: Airbus, Thales, Safran, Leonardo.

Holy smoke! Arms companies snatch the brunt!

And in a blunt rephrasing of the report: the support is not efficient. It is crude handouts to big corporations.

🚨 NEW POLL: roughly TWICE as many people in France, Germany & Spain want the EU to break up Big Tech giants, as those who don't.

@ec.europa.eu will soon decide whether to dismantle Google's toxic adtech monopoly. Will it listen to EU citizens and #BreakUpBigTech?

peoplevsbig.tech/large-majori...

A guide to deregulation in the EU under the new EU Commission. May not give the full picture - that would be a report of 100 pages, but it does give the essentials: how it works, what is targeted (almost everything), who is calling the shots.

You may not know you need to know this, but you do!

🙃

Really important story on corporate lobbying on #PFAS and #TFA in @ftm.eu this morning:

www.ftm.eu/articles/pol...

Cover image for article saying: Dirty Industrial Deal - FAQs Part III: Chemicals With an EU Commission logo, and an industrial plant in the background.

1/9

NEW! Check-out #3 in our FAQs on 🇪🇺's not so-Clean Industrial Deal, focussed on #Chemicals

Find out how next week’s Commission announcements look set to pamper chemicals industry both via subsidies + weakened protections for environment & health

corporateeurope.org/en/2025/06/f...

Deregulation Watch | Corporate Europe Observatory Check out our new posts on Deregulation Watch which helps civil society monitor new developments in the deregulation agenda, assess what’s at stake, and organise in defence of strong social, environme...

The anti-greenwash directive risks becoming the latest victim of the ever expanding EU #deregulation wave

The Commission announced it would withdraw the directive - and then changed position. But rightwing governments, MEPs and industry lobbies now smell blood

➡️ corporateeurope.org/en/deregulat...

Corporate Lobbying Eroded Flagship EU Sustainability Rules – Report Dozens of companies and trade bodies were involved in an effort to water down key sustainability legislation in the EU, according to a new report published today.  The Corporate Sustainability Due Dil...

🔴 NEW 🔴

Corporate Lobbying Eroded Flagship EU Sustainability Rules – Report

An 'unparalleled competitiveness hysteria' is at play, according to transparency campaigner
@kennethhaar.bsky.social from @corporateeurope.org

For @desmog.com

www.desmog.com/2025/06/24/c...

Corporate Lobbying Eroded Flagship EU Sustainability Rules – Report Dozens of companies and trade bodies were involved in an effort to water down key sustainability legislation in the EU, according to a new report published today.  The Corporate Sustainability Due Dil...

🔴 NEW 🔴

Corporate Lobbying Eroded Flagship EU Sustainability Rules – Report

An 'unparalleled competitiveness hysteria' is at play, according to transparency campaigner @kennethhaar.bsky.social @corporateeurope.org

📝 @joeygrostern.bsky.social 👇

www.desmog.com/2025/06/24/c...

An intense get-together og trade unions, green groups etc to learn and strategise against the deregulation campaign at EU level just ended w a strong message from the ETUCs Isabel Schömann.

A great afternoon. Inspiring and energising despite low oxygen level

#RulesToProtect conference

Encouraging. A room packed with tradeunionists, environmental activists and others. Together to discuss way to fight deregulation in Europe.

📣 It's today and it's more than fully booked!

👉 High-level conference for policy makers, media, trade unions & CSO about the real-life dangers of this Commission's deregulation wave.

by @epsu.bsky.social @foeeurope.bsky.social @canclimateaction.bsky.social @eeb.org @eccjorg.bsky.social

Deregulation Watch | Corporate Europe Observatory Check out our new posts on Deregulation Watch which helps civil society monitor new developments in the deregulation agenda, assess what’s at stake, and organise in defence of strong social, environme...

Last week the Commission presented a package of deregulation measures to favour companies w less than 750 employees (small midcaps).

Examples: F-gases, batteries, stock market rules, data privacy.

They did it by asking the companies what they wanted.

corporateeurope.org/en/deregulat...

Trump’s trade war against protective rules | Corporate Europe Observatory Supermarkets full of chlorinated chicken, free rein for Big Tech, PFAS forever? These are just some of the Trump administrations trade demands; and the risk that the EU will cave in to some is more li...

Here you go: corporateeurope.org/en/2025/05/t...

What a jerk. And if I thought the EU's negotiators would just shrug, ignore his rants, and not concede on anything sensitive, I would think it ridiculous too.

But it's not really where we are. See CEO's latest about how some risky offerings are mulled by the EU - on gas and taxation. Link below.

Kudos to ClientEarth for this. The Commission is pushing deregulation via Omnibuses frantically these days. Loads of concerns brushed aside, procedures skipped, looks like a European version of the shock therapy tactics in Project 2025.

Deregulation Watch | Corporate Europe Observatory Check out our new posts on Deregulation Watch which helps civil society monitor new developments in the deregulation agenda, assess what’s at stake, and organise in defence of strong social, environme...

The Commission’s #SingleMarket Strategy launched this week includes a large number of measures with a clear #deregulation agenda, endangering national level social and environmental protection ⚠️

Unions slammed the plans as “a ruthless blow on labour rights"

www.corporateeurope.org/en/deregulat...

Single-Minded Single Market Strategy | Corporate Europe Observatory The plans presented in the Commission’s Single Market Strategy communication today will boost corporate power and limit the democratic space that national and local authorities need to protect people ...

Today, the EU Commission put out a “Single-Minded Single Market Strategy”.

They set out to weaken protective rules - consumer rights, environmental regulation, social rights etc.

Main takeaways in our press release and below.

#SingleMarket

corporateeurope.org/en/2025/05/s...

Single-Minded Single Market Strategy | Corporate Europe Observatory The plans presented in the Commission’s Single Market Strategy communication today will boost corporate power and limit the democratic space that national and local authorities need to protect people ...

Today, the European Commission launched what my organisation aptly calls a "Single-Minded Single Market Strategy". Quite a read. If you know their terminology, it is easy to see it is a package of deregulation from start to end.

corporateeurope.org/en/2025/05/s...