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In a milestone win for civil society, the EU will withdraw from the climate-wrecking Energy Charter Treaty (or ECT). The ECT was designed in the 1990s to favour industry’s interests, and was a powerful weapon to obstruct the kind of phaseout of fossil fuels needed to avoid catastrophic climate change. It should never have existed in the first place.

In this episode of EU Watchdog Radio, Joana Louçã talks to Pia Eberhardt, former campaigner and researcher at CEO, and Lucía Bárcena, Project Coordinator at the  Transnational Institute, or TNI, to celebrate the decision of the EU to finally leave the Energy Charter Treaty.

WHO WE ARE

This podcast is produced by CEO and Counter Balance. Both NGOs raise awareness on the importance of good governance in the EU by researching issues like lobbying of large and powerful industries, corporate capture of decision making, corruption, fraud, human rights violations in areas like Big Tech, agro-business, biotech & chemical companies, the financial sector & public investment banks, trade, energy & climate, scientific research and much more…
You can find us wherever you listen to your podcasts. Stay tuned for more independent and in-depth information that concerns every EU citizen!

For the first time in seventeen years, the European Gas Conference was cancelled—or, at least, postponed. However, this did not stop CEO from travelling all the way to Vienna to meet with climate activists and campaigners at the People’s Summit, the counter-summit of the Gas Conference.
This episode was recorded live in the capital city of Austria. Marcella Via spoke with CEO’s researchers and campaigners Pascoe Sabido and Belén Balayá about their views on the People’s Summit and the relevance of the work of the Fossil Free Politics coalition in this framework.
You will also hear the voices of the front line. During the People’s Summit, we’ve asked our allies from Corpus Christi, Texas, and Don’t Gas Africa to send a message to the organisers of the European Gas Conference. We closed the episode sending our special message to the polluters as well. 
Tune in, and enjoy the listening! 

WHO WE ARE

This podcast is produced by CEO and Counter Balance. Both NGOs raise awareness on the importance of good governance in the EU by researching issues like lobbying of large and powerful industries, corporate capture of decision making, corruption, fraud, human rights violations in areas like Big Tech, agro-business, biotech & chemical companies, the financial sector & public investment banks, trade, energy & climate, scientific research and much more…
You can find us wherever you listen to your podcasts. Stay tuned for more independent and in-depth information that concerns every EU citizen!

Amazon is a frequent visitor to the EU Parliament. In January alone, it had nine meetings with MEPs. But when it refused to appear before the Employment Committee on a hearing on crucial issues concerning working conditions within its warehouses, it made MEPs from all party groups extremelly angry, and rightly so. 
On 5 February, MEPs on the European Parliament’s Employment Committee sent an official letter to Roberta Metsola, the European Parliament President, urging the withdrawal of lobbying badges from the tech giant’s representatives, effectively barring them from the Parliament's corridors. This week, more than 30 civil society groups and trade unions wrote to her backing up the MEPs' demand. It's time to ban Amazon lobbyists from the European Parliament. 
In this episode, Joana Louçã talks to CEO's campaigner and researcher Bram Vranken about this case.

WHO WE ARE

This podcast is produced by CEO and Counter Balance. Both NGOs raise awareness on the importance of good governance in the EU by researching issues like lobbying of large and powerful industries, corporate capture of decision making, corruption, fraud, human rights violations in areas like Big Tech, agro-business, biotech & chemical companies, the financial sector & public investment banks, trade, energy & climate, scientific research and much more…
You can find us wherever you listen to your podcasts. Stay tuned for more independent and in-depth information that concerns every EU citizen!

Another year, another COP. As the UN climate talks concluded in Dubai, for the first time ever a “transition away from fossil fuels” has been mentioned in the final text, but calling for a win would be a clear overstatement. The text has the oily fingerprints of the fossil fuel lobby all over it. The reality is COP28 is more likely to facilitate a fossil fuel frenzy by cementing false solutions in the text: exactly what the army of lobbyists ordered.

Listen to our new podcast episode of EU Watchdog Radio, where Joana Louçã talks to CEO's climate campaigner and researcher Pascoe Sabido.

WHO WE ARE

This podcast is produced by CEO and Counter Balance. Both NGOs raise awareness on the importance of good governance in the EU by researching issues like lobbying of large and powerful industries, corporate capture of decision making, corruption, fraud, human rights violations in areas like Big Tech, agro-business, biotech & chemical companies, the financial sector & public investment banks, trade, energy & climate, scientific research and much more…
You can find us wherever you listen to your podcasts. Stay tuned for more independent and in-depth information that concerns every EU citizen!

It's one year since the Qatargate corruption scandal exploded across the EU institutions and a good time to review if and how things have changed in the Brussels Bubble. In this episode, Joana Louçã talks to Corporate Europe Observatory's researchers Olivier Hoedeman and Vicky Cann.

WHO WE ARE

This podcast is produced by CEO and Counter Balance. Both NGOs raise awareness on the importance of good governance in the EU by researching issues like lobbying of large and powerful industries, corporate capture of decision making, corruption, fraud, human rights violations in areas like Big Tech, agro-business, biotech & chemical companies, the financial sector & public investment banks, trade, energy & climate, scientific research and much more…
You can find us on iTunes, Spotify & Buzzsprout. Stay tuned for more independent and in-depth information that concerns every EU citizen!

As the European Commission’s current mandate draws to a close, some Commissioner’s are contemplating their next moves. One such politician is current Vice President Margrethe Vestager, who is campaigning to become the next president of the European Investment Bank (EIB). She is one of five potential candidates who will take over from current EIB president Werner Hoyer at the end of this year, with the successor to be chosen in the coming months.

The EIB is the largest multilateral development bank in the world, and plays a crucial role in the various investment programmes being implemented by the EU. However, it prioritises financing large companies and huge private banks for environmental and social quick fixes rather than projects which would instigate long lasting social and environmental improvements in Europe.

This is happening at a time when European social fabric and the EU’s political legitimacy is eroding. Recent riots in France have demonstrated what can happen when entire communities, combined with racism and police brutality, are structurally deprived of their basic human needs.

In episode 46 of EU Watchdog Radio, we speak with Frank Vanaerachot, Director of EU public finance watchdog Counter Balance. Frank explains how the EIB could help build quality, affordable housing, healthcare, education and other public services across Europe, how the bank may not be living up to its self-created ‘EU Climate Bank’ branding and how it can take more risks to finance socially beneficial projects.