Whose views count? Business influence and the European Commission’s High Level Groups

This report by Friends of the Earth Europe examines seven 'High Level Groups' (HLGs) established by the European Commission's Directorate General (DG) for Enterprise and Industry under Commissioner Günter Verheugen. The analysis finds that these advisory groups are systematically biased toward industry interests, often lacking democratic legitimacy and failing to adequately represent environmental or consumer concerns in policy recommendations.

• The majority of the seven High Level Groups examined are skewed toward industry, with two being 'corporate controlled' (over half of all members are industry representatives) and four being 'unbalanced in favour of industry' (industry makes up more than 50% of non-government members).
• Policy recommendations from the HLGs on Textiles and Clothing and CARS 21 reflect an industry agenda, prioritizing market-oriented approaches and competitiveness over social and environmental standards.
• The CARS 21 group's recommendations are criticized for shifting the car industry's responsibility for CO2 emissions to others and promoting biofuels despite evidence of environmental and social damage.
• In the Pharmaceutical Forum, industry interests dominated the 'Information to Patients' working group, leading to recommendations that created loopholes for pharmaceutical companies to provide written information in media, thereby weakening the ban on advertising prescription drugs.
• The HLG on Competitiveness, Energy and Environment was dominated by large energy users and traditional suppliers, resulting in a focus on techno-solutions like Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and nuclear energy rather than ambitious emission reductions.
• The HLG on the Competitiveness of the Agro-Food Industry has largely excluded environmental voices, with its progress report promoting industry-beneficial proposals regarding GMOs, such as speeding up approval processes and establishing tolerance thresholds.
• The HLG of Independent Stakeholders on Administrative Burdens is controlled by business interests and focuses on reducing bureaucracy for companies, which the report suggests may compromise corporate accountability and social/environmental standards.
• Transparency regarding the HLGs is inconsistent; the European Commission's register of Expert Groups is described as incorrect and outdated, with some active groups missing and membership details varying between the register and group websites.
• The European Parliament has refused to participate in most HLGs established since February 2006, arguing that these groups undermine the independence of EU institutions by pre-determining positions on critical issues.

APA

Pohl, C. (n.d.). Whose views count? Business influence and the European Commission’s High Level Groups. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Who-s_views_count.pdf

Chicago

Pohl, Christine. Whose views count? Business influence and the European Commission’s High Level Groups. Friends of the Earth International, n.d. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Who-s_views_count.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Pohl |first1=Christine |title=Whose views count? Business influence and the European Commission’s High Level Groups |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Who-s_views_count.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{pohlndwhose, author = {Pohl, Christine}, title = {{Whose views count? Business influence and the European Commission’s High Level Groups}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Who-s_views_count.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }