Originally published on Corporate Europe Observatory’s website.
Brussels, 20 September 2024 – The European Ombudsman is “not convinced” at the excuses given by the EU Energy Platform to exclude non-corporate members from its controversial Industry Advisory Group (IAG), and calls on the Commission to “reassess” its mandate going forward as it is not “appropriate”.
The IAG was created at the suggestion of the CEOs of Shell, BP, TotalEnergies and Eni to advise the Commission on how to get off Russian gas and what new infrastructure would be needed. It is made up exclusively of gas lobbyists from the biggest corporations and their trade associations, and has repeatedly shut out civil society.
With its mandate expiring in October 2024, the Fossil Free Politics campaign argues that the EU Energy Platform’s Industry Advisory Group should be disbanded, rather than reformed, as it is not fit for purpose. The IAG has served to further entrench fossil fuel interests at a time of exorbitant windfall industry profits while many Europeans struggled to pay their energy bills.
The Commission justified its exclusion of civil society by claiming they “would not have the requisite expertise” as the discussions were limited to technical input on a digital gas demand aggregation platform (AggregateEU). However, Fossil Free Politics has always maintained that discussions were also political. The Ombudsman’s ruling shows the IAG did in fact have political discussions, meaning the Commission has created yet another forum to facilitate the capture of EU energy policy by the gas industry.
The Ombudsman’s findings, following a complaint by Fossil Free Politics members Corporate Europe Observatory and Food and Water Action Europe, should be a wake-up call to all those expecting the Commission to deliver a just transition in the interest of people and the planet. The IAG must not be a blueprint for how the Commission drafts the Clean Industrial Deal, an industry-only affair with NGOs and academics not on the guestlist.
“The Ombudsman’s ruling shows the IAG is not fit for purpose and needs to be scrapped. Let’s just hope this isn’t how the Commission intends to draft its Clean Industrial Deal, with NGOs and academics shut-out while oil and gas companies decide what goes in. These same corporations have consistently blocked, delayed and sabotaged efforts to tackle the climate and energy crisis and lower people’s bills, putting their eye-watering profits before people and planet. They should be the ones shut out, not civil society. The new Commission must protect policy making from the fossil fuel lobby, just like we’ve done with the tobacco lobby.”
Pascoe Sabido, researcher and campaigner, Corporate Europe Observatory
“The Ombudsman’s ruling confirms serious doubts about the IAG’s transparency and composition. It is unacceptable that civil society organisations, think-tanks, academics or researchers have been left out, putting corporate interests first. Seeking advice on fossil gas, LNG, demand aggregation, and joint purchasing from the fossil fuel industry, that’s like asking a tobacco company for tips on quitting smoking! This ‘expert’ group falls far short of what is needed to tackle Europe’s fossil fuel dependency, fight energy poverty, and combat climate change.”
Enrico Donda, Gas campaigner, Food & Water Action Europe
ENDS
For media inquiries, please contact
Pascoe Sabido, Corporate Europe Observatory researcher and campaigner
pascoe@corporateeurope.org – 0044 7969 665 189
Marcella Via, Corporate Europe Observatory press officer
media@corporateeurope.org – 0039 348 4201435