Taxonomic indignation – Critique of Kurz – Interview on transatlantic links – POLITICO

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A weekly newsletter on campaigning, lobbying and political influence in the EU.

By LILI BAYER

Thanks to Cristina Gonzalez and Barbara Moens

Tips, stories, trauma to the POLITICO Brussels team at @liliebayer or [email protected] | View in your browser

Good Friday afternoon and welcome to EU Influence.

EU LOBBYING

NEW YEAR, NEW PRESIDENCY: France has officially assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU. Let’s take a look at some of the groups that have been lobbying the French Permanent Representation in recent months.

– The business world: Markus Beyrer, Managing Director of BusinessEurope, met the deputy permanent representative of France Fabrice Dubreuil last month, according to the transparency register of the permanent representation.

– French industry: Dubreuil had a meeting with a representative of the French automotive industry in November, as well as a conversation with Airbus. A month earlier, the permanent representative of France Philippe Léglise-Costa had also met a representative of Airbus Defense and Space.

– The tech sector: Léglise-Costa met DigitalEurope in September and December.

TAXONOMIC COMBAT: The European Commission is considering including nuclear power and natural gas in its green labeling scheme for energy sector investments – and not everyone is happy.

Indignation of climate groups: the draft delegated act of the Commission “sacrifices the scientific integrity of taxonomy on the altar of the fossil gas and nuclear lobbies, without giving the European public the opportunity to comment on the content of the [delegated act] through an appropriate consultation process, ”the Climate Action Network Europe said in a statement.

I TRANSPARENCY

NEW JOB FOR MALMSTRÖM: Former EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström joined Covington & Burling’s Global Public Policy Practice in Brussels as a Senior Advisor. “Cecilia will provide useful information on European trade and policy issues to our clients, particularly in the technology sector,” Covington Chairman Doug Gibson said in a statement.

AUSTRIAN ROTATING DOOR: Former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who left politics late last year after getting bogged down in a corruption probe, has a new post as global strategist for Thiel Capital, whose founder , the German-American billionaire Peter Thiel, is a long-time acquaintance of the former chancellor, the Austrian daily Heute reports during the holidays.

Réactions: Kurz’s new role “is a classic case of revolving doors,” said Austrian Social Democrat MEP Evelyn Regner. “Of course there should be possibilities for politicians to change jobs, but a swift transition like Kurz’s should be more than outdated,” the MEP said in an emailed statement to EU Influence.

The former Chancellor’s new role “in the highly influential ranks of the private sector – where his personal network and insider knowledge are crucial for opaque influence over policy decisions – is a clear example of what he shouldn’t. not be, “she said, adding:” Bought politicians represent a huge danger to our democracy and everyday political decisions. “

Austrian MEP Claudia Gamon also raised concerns, telling EU Influence in an email that her party, NEOS, “has always supported the idea that members of government should go through a ‘reflection phase’. before starting new jobs that are in (politically relevant industries).

“Whether or not this applies to Mr Kurz’s new job should be verified by some sort of compliance board,” she said, adding that at present “Austrian law does not provide for a think tank or any kind of compliance committee where politicians could (or should) submit their new forms of employment for scrutiny.

A spokesperson for Peter Thiel did not respond to a request for comment on how Thiel Capital and Kurz are responding to this criticism. Questions for Kurz, sent to the Austrian People’s Party, also went unanswered.

NEW YEAR’S HOPES: We asked Transparency International’s EU director Michiel van Hulten about his hopes for the new year. “In 2022, we would like to see greater transparency in lobbying in the European institutions. Policy makers – whether they are Commissioners, officials, Council Presidencies or Members of the European Parliament – should only accept meeting requests from registered lobbyists and quickly publish details of such meetings online, ”said van Hulten in a note.

A level playing field, please: “This is particularly important at a time when industry players are investing large sums of money in lobbying and the voice of civil society risks being stifled. “He said, adding:” We need a level playing field. “

Implementation of transparency standards: European Business Observatory researcher and activist Margarida Silva said her organization hopes for progress in lobbying and ethical regulation. “After many years of negotiating the minimal reform of the EU Transparency Register, it is time for the EU institutions to make concrete progress internally,” Silva told EU Influence.

Read more: “For the European Commission, this should include, for example, the extension of ‘no registration, no meeting’ to officials below the rank of Director General. In turn, Parliament must also start taking its own transparency seriously, ”she said, adding that“ too many MEPs still do not disclose their lobbying meetings, even when they should ”.

A Possible Game Changer: “The hardest nut to break,” according to Silva, is the Board. “Our hope here is that more Member States become champions of reform,” she said. The European Business Observatory is also “impatient to see the European Commission’s proposal to create an independent inter-institutional ethics body”, noted Silva, adding that this “could be a game-changer”.

LISTENING RECOMMENDED: Interview with European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly on the EU Scream podcast.

** The POLITICO Live interview with Thierry Breton, Internal Market Commissioner, takes place next week on January 10 at 5.30 p.m. CET. Tune in to learn about the Commissioner’s priorities for the New Year among other topics. Register now! **

AROUND EUROPE

AMERICA EUROPE FUND TO STRENGTHEN TRANSATLANTIC LINKS: The America Europe Fund, hosted by KU Leuven in Belgium, is one of the latest players in the field of promoting transatlantic relations. My colleague Barbara Moens spoke to two of the main figures behind the fund: KU professor Leuven Jan Wouters and former ambassador Dirk Wouters (no, they are not related.)

Dirk Wouters has been Belgium’s envoy to the EU and the US in recent years. “We are emerging from a difficult period in transatlantic relations,” he said. “The idea of ​​this fund is to contribute to better mutual knowledge and to strengthened mutual relations. The comparison of the two sides is at the heart of this fund.

West’s decline in power: The EU and US have long believed they can establish a rules-based world order, Wouters said. “There are so many new players now that the world is going far beyond transatlantic cooperation. But it remains crucial to work together to establish global rules together or to address strategic challenges: how to approach China? How to approach Russia? Meeting these security challenges is a major issue for Brussels and Washington. “

Future plans: The America Europe Fund regularly organizes high-level conferences with decision-makers such as Commissioner Margrethe Vestager. It also manages a master’s program, internships and an actor forum with private partners. “This business platform can be a useful reality test,” Wouters said. “Their activities on both sides of the Atlantic are fueling a strategic discussion on transatlantic agendas for innovation and technology. “

INFLUENCERS

Shradha Abt-Bhatnagar, currently Deputy Director of the EU Government Relations Office at BASF Group, has been promoted to Director of Sustainable Development Strategy.

Andreas Aktoudianakis is now senior manager of EU government affairs at Huawei. He was previously the EU’s chief digital policy analyst at the European Policy Center. Meanwhile, Andrea G. Rodríguez joins the EPC as a policy analyst responsible for the EU’s digital agenda.

Luc Frieden began his mandate as President of EUROCHAMBRES.

Lauren Heeffer is now Head of Market Communications and Sustainability at Ørsted. She previously worked at Weber Shandwick.

FoodDrinkEurope has appointed Dirk Jacobs as the new Managing Director. He succeeds Mella Frewen.

Ognjenka Manojlovic has been promoted to associate director, responsible for food and nutrition policy at Edelman.

Mathilde Maury has started a new role as Brussels-based government affairs manager within Nokia’s international government affairs team.

Bertrand Mossiat is now a business developer at the Journalism Trust Initiative, owned and managed by Reporters Without Borders.

Simona Popa, InterDigital Senior Director, Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs, Europe, has been elected Chair of the Intellectual Property Committee of AmCham EU for a two-year term.

Bart Vermeulen is the new Director of European Affairs of ExxonMobil, succeeding Johan Scharpé, who assumes the role of Director of Public and Government Affairs for the Benelux countries.

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