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EU assembly tells polluters to pay debts to nature - The European Parliament approved a bill on Wednesday that would force companies to pay to clean up the mess they create in nature. (Robin Pomeroy, Reuters, 14 May 2003)

International standards:

Code of conduct for European enterprises (European Parliament, Jan. 1999)

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Corporate Social Responsibility (European Commission)

Equal Employment Opportunities in the European Union (International Labour Organization)

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European Parliament

Other materials:

2003:

EU assembly tells polluters to pay debts to nature - The European Parliament approved a bill on Wednesday that would force companies to pay to clean up the mess they create in nature. (Robin Pomeroy, Reuters, 14 May 2003)

A detailed European action plan will soon be unveiled to deal with the growing problem of illness and disease caused by environmental pollution. Special focus will be given to children who are most vulnerable to environmental hazards. (Welcomeurope, 4 Apr. 2003)

Europe's New Chemicals Plan Requires Market Authorization - European Commission proposals for the central feature of a revised EU chemicals policy - a strict market authorization procedure for chemicals of very high concern - will include persistent and bioaccumulative substances, Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstrom said Monday...Wallstrom said, "In the future, the chemicals industry will be responsible for generating and providing the necessary information about their own products in line with corporate responsibility." (Environment News Service, 1 Apr. 2003)

EU pushes ahead with ban on 'rustbucket' oil tankers - European Union transport ministers endorsed last week a ban on old single-hull tankers carrying heavy fuel oil, in an effort to prevent oil slicks like the Prestige disaster which sank off Spain last year. (Robin Pomeroy, Reuters, 31 Mar. 2003)

UK votes to keep highly toxic pesticide - The highly toxic pesticide aldicarb will continue to be used on vegetables in the UK following a decision by European farm ministers yesterday. (Friends of the Earth, 19 Mar. 2003)

EU wants to simplify limits on pesticide residues - The European Commission plans to set maximum residue levels for pesticides used by farmers across the 15-nation bloc, part of its programme to raise food safety standards for European consumers, it said. (Reuters, 17 Mar. 2003) 

Awá - Amazon nomads celebrate land victory - Triumph for Brazil’s last hunter-gatherers after 20-year Survival campaign - Brazil’s last hunter-gatherer Indian tribe face the future with more confidence this week, after the demarcation – mapping out and marking on the ground – of the Awá Indians’ land was completed. This legal recognition of their territory, ordered by a judge, was the main objective of a 20-year Survival campaign. Much of the Awá’s rainforest has been invaded by ranchers, loggers and settlers, who killed many Indians...The EU- and World Bank-funded Carajás industrial project was responsible for much of the devastation. (Survival International, 11 Mar. 2003)

New EU deals with Africa still fishy - WWF - A new report released today by WWF shows that the new ‘cash for access’ deals signed by the EU to allow European boats to fish in African waters, while better than the previous ones, are still highly questionable...current deals are far from being environmentally, socially, or economically sustainable. (WWF, 11 Mar. 2003)

EU proposes criminal penalties for sea polluters - Ships that pollute the ocean by flushing out their tanks at sea would be subject to criminal sanctions, including jail sentences those responsible, under a draft law proposed this week by the European Commission. (Reuters, 7 Mar. 2003)

EU Laws on E-Waste Clear the Way for Similar Laws in U.S. -..."The enactment of these laws is a critical first step in the transition to extended producer responsibility as an important new code of conduct for the global electronics industry," said Ted Smith, executive director of the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition and coordinator of the national Computer TakeBack Campaign. (GreenBiz.com, 21 Feb. 2003)

EU to debate pesticide ban on highly toxic aldicarb (Reuters, 17 Feb. 2003) 

EU under attack over plan to legalise paraquat - Environmentalists, insisting that paraquat is highly toxic for humans and animals, slammed EU proposals to legalise the controversial herbicide across the bloc although it is banned in several member states. (Jeremy Smith, Reuters, 17 Feb. 2003)

EU aims to improve greenhouse gas monitoring system (Reuters, 7 Feb. 2003)

Regulating weapons deals: The case for European Controls on arms brokers (Oxfam, Feb. 2003)

New European Constitution May Erase Eco-Progress - Some of the European Union's greatest milestones in environmental policymaking could be at risk from attempts to draft a new constitution for the bloc (Environment News Service, 29 Jan. 2003)

EU plans tougher sanctions against marine polluters (Reuters, 20 Jan. 2003) 

TOBACCO: Talks On Anti-Smoking Campaign Funding Set For February - The European Union will host a meeting Feb. 3-4 in Brussels to discuss how international donors can help developing countries finance anti-smoking campaigns. (UN Wire, 10 Jan. 2003)

2002:

TOBACCO: EU Health Ministers Ban Tobacco Ads - European Union health ministers yesterday decided to prohibit tobacco advertising on the radio, in newspapers and magazines and on the Internet by 2005 and in Europe-wide sporting events -- such as Formula One car races and soccer championships -- by 2006. The new ban aims to cut smoking-related diseases and prevent tobacco companies from luring new smokers to replace the 500,000 Europeans who die each year from smoking-related diseases. (UN Wire, 3 Dec. 2002)

OIL SPILLS: EU To Consider Blacklist Of Ships After Accident Near Spain - Following last month's oil spill off the coast of Spain, the European Commission today published a blacklist of ships that could be banned from European waters and urged the European Union to prohibit the transport of heavy fuel in single-hulled tankers. (UN Wire, 3 Dec. 2002)

Europe: Development is the Goal, Trade is the Instrument (Pascal Lamy Member of the European Commission, responsible for Trade, speech to Second International Conference on Globalisation, 26 Nov. 2002)

TOBACCO: European Parliament Approves Advertising Ban (UN Wire, 21 Nov. 2002)

TRADE: U.S., EU Square Off Over Environmental Concerns -...Speaking at a discussion in New York hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations, Zoellick said the European position that trade and the environment should be linked is endangering progress on global trade negotiations with developing countries. (UN Wire, 7 Nov. 2002)

Tiered pricing alone is not enough - Oxfam welcomes the [European] Commission’s initiative to help reduce the price of essential medicines for developing countries. This must now be coupled with fundamental reform of global patent rules which are preventing poor people getting access to the cheapest possible medicines...Oxfam believe that the Commission’s decision to limit the scope to just HIV, TB and Malaria and to the very poorest countries in the world could result in terrible development outcomes. (Oxfam, 4 Nov. 2002)

Stop the Dumping! How EU agricultural subsidies are damaging livelihoods in the developing world -...Reforming a system in which Europe’s large landowners and agribusinesses get rich on subsidies, while smallholder farmers in developing countries suffer the consequences, is an essential step towards making trade fair. (Oxfam briefing paper, 31 Oct. 2002)

Firms to pay for EU electronic waste clean-up - A new law to make companies meet the cost of recycling their own electronic goods from refrigerators to hairdryers has won approval from EU parliamentarians and governments, officials said. (Reuters, 14 Oct. 2002) 

TRADE: EU Calls For UNEP To Be Given Observer Status In WTO Talks (UN Wire, 11 Oct. 2002)

ANGOLA: WWF concerned about EU fisheries deal (U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks, 10 Oct. 2002)

McDonald’s Trade Union activists in Brussels - Today, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will meet with McDonalds' union activists from around the world to discuss the company’s anti-union activities (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 9 Oct. 2002)

Oxfam response to EC working document on Tiered Pricing -...Tiered Pricing is not enough [regarding access to medicines] (Oxfam, 26 Sep. 2002)

European Parliament votes for regulation: Richard Howitt MEP, European Parliament rapporteur on corporate social responsibility, analyses the significance of a watershed vote by the European Parliament (Richard Howitt MEP, in Human Rights & Business Matters, Amnesty International UK Business Group Newsletter no. 6, autumn/winter 2002)

EU firms champion green electricity plan -...Some 170 companies and 13 of the 15 EU member states have signed up to the Renewable Energy Certification System (RECS), which issues "proof of origin" certificates to firms producing electricity in environmentally-friendly ways...RECS's members include Electrabel, Electricite de France, TotalFinaElf, RWE Energie, E.ON Trading, Edison SpA, BP Gas and Power and Shell International Renewables. (Reuters, 16 Sep. 2002) 

Other Facets #7 - Diamonds & Human Security Project Newsletter reporting on the Kimberley Process and the G8, developments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, US & EC response to the Kimberley Process, etc. (Partnership Africa Canada, 6 Sep. 2002)

US blocks move to give powers to those threatened by multinationals: Poor countries seek redress over firms' damage - The United States is blocking human, environmental and freedom of information rights from being enshrined in the earth summit's plan of action in order to protect multinational companies from litigation and protests by the poor. The EU and developing countries such as Thailand, Uganda and Indonesia believe that giving communities the right to take on companies that pollute their environment and damage their health is fundamental to the aims of the summit. (Paul Brown, Guardian [UK], 29 Aug. 2002)

Worker compensated for illegal overtime [UK] - A 51-year-old woman has been awarded compensation for working an average of 71 hours a week in a newsagent's shop...It is believed to be the first time a UK company has been prosecuted for breaking the European Union's 48-hour working week rule. (BBC News, 14 Aug. 2002)

DIAMONDS: EU Plans Stricter Certification Rules - The European Union yesterday announced draft laws to halt trade in "blood diamonds," blamed by the United Nations for fuelling war in Angola, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (UN Wire, 9 Aug. 2002)

Discount-Davos - Over 2,200 people from the corporate world, governments and EU institutions as well as a handful of NGO representatives attended the second European Business Summit, 6-8 June in Brussels...CSR Europe was the most visible business grouping at this year's EBS...[it] consists of around 60 member corporations, including BP, Shell, ENI, Nestle, Unilever, Danone, BT, ABB, Citigroup, Nike, Levi and Suez...CSR Europe was one of the corporate lobby groups involved in a successful lobbying offensive to discourage the European Parliament (EP) from proposing mandatory reporting on corporate social and environmental performance. (Corporate Europe Observer, Aug. 2002)

EU charges 10 states with breaking rules on waste - The European Union said this week it was taking eight of its 15 member states to court for failing to comply with rules on waste and had cautioned two others whose environmental laws were not up to scratch. [charges against Italy, Greece, Britain, Spain, Austria, Portugal, Belgium, Germany; formal warnings to Finland & France] [refers to waste disposal & battery disposal] (Reuters, 25 July 2002)

EU Commission only green in patches - report - The European Commission got a mixed report on its green policies this week and environmental groups urged it to do more. (Reuters, 25 July 2002)

New ICFTU report reveals widespread discrimination and occurrences of child labour in Europe - Salary discrimination against women of up to 35% still exists across Europe... The report also finds “unacceptable exploitation of children” occurring in most countries to some degree, “mainly in unregulated activities and in agriculture.” (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 24 July 2002)

EU demands proof states are protecting ozone layer -...The European Commission said none of the 15 member states had shown how they intended to ensure ozone-depleting chemicals in scrapped fridges or old fire extinguishers would be safely removed to stop them worsening the hole in the ozone layer. (Reuters, 24 July 2002) 

How Green is the Prodi Commission? Twenty commissioners under the leadership of President Romano Prodi of Italy make up the executive branch of the European Union government - the European Commission. Today, major European environmental organizations grouped under the Green 8 umbrella issued a joint review of the Prodi Commission’s environmental policies for the first half of its mandate. (Environment News Service, 23 July 2002)

Internationally-recognised Core Labour Standards in the 15 Member States of the European Union - Report for the WTO General Council review of the trade policies of the European Unions  (Geneva, 24 and 26 July 2002) - All eight of the core ILO conventions have been ratified by all fifteen European Union (EU) member states. In certain areas however, law and practice in several EU countries require further government efforts in order to respect the commitments to fundamental workers’ rights [refers to pay gap between men and women, child labour, trafficking in women and girls for the purposes of forced prostitution] (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 18 July 2002)

'Teleworkers' to be granted equal rights [European Union] - Employers and trade unions yesterday signed a ground-breaking deal giving the growing number of people using technology to work from home or those on the move equal rights with their conventional office-bound counterparts...The agreement...guarantees them equal rights in areas such as employment, training and health and safety. (Michael Mann, Financial Times, 17 July 2002)

Corporate Social Responsibility Should Remain Voluntary, Says Commission - The European Commission has released a strategy paper declaring that the emerging field of corporate social responsibility (CSR) should remain a voluntary endeavour largely dictated by business imperatives...The Commission signalled last week that it would not yield to European Parliament pressure to propose binding legislation for firms to report on social and environmental issues alongside their annual financial accounts. (Edie News, 8 July 2002)

EU MPs toughen chemicals rules after Toulouse blast - The European Parliament voted this week to toughen rules on storing dangerous chemicals to cut the risk of another Toulouse-style disaster, when a fertilizer plant exploded and killed 30 people. (Reuters, 5 July 2002) 

No mandatory CSR regulations in Commission's proposal -...On 2 July, the Commission [European Commission] published a Communication entitled "Corporate Social Responsibility: A business contribution to Sustainable Development". It is a follow-up of the Green Paper issued last summer. [includes links to the official documents] (EurActiv.com, 4 July 2002)

One Week After Worldcom: Europe Bows to Big Business - White Paper on Corporate Social Responsibility disappointing, says FoEE [Friends of the Earth Europe] - The European Commission has missed a huge opportunity to stop big business scandals by producing a White Paper on Corporate Social Responsibility that advocates leaving big business to regulate itself...The Commission’s paper ignores calls from Friends of the Earth and others for binding rules to regulate multi-national companies world-wide. FOE has called for the paper to address binding corporate accountability including key measures such as, at the very least, mandatory social and environmental reporting. (Friends of the Earth Europe, 3 July 2002)

PESTICIDES: New EU Paper Prepares For Policy Debate - The European Union adopted a paper Monday on the sustainable use of pesticides, calling for reduction and transparency in their use and for safer alternatives. (UN Wire, 3 July 2002)

Pollution endangers Baltic Sea fishing - Tests have shown that some species of Baltic fish have too high levels of dioxin... Dioxins - cancer-causing toxic chemical compounds caused by burning plastic, fuel and rubbish - are hard to break down once they get into the food chain...The pollution is mainly air-borne and drifts in on southwest winds from Germany and Britain, and from combustion in the Baltic region countries. (Karin Lundback, Reuters, 2 July 2002)

EU to curb dioxins levels in food/feed from today - Food and animal feed manufacturers across the European Union must abide by strict new limits on permitted levels of cancer-causing dioxins from July 1, the European Commission said last week. Dioxins are accidental by-products generated mainly through incineration by the chemical and pharmaceutical industries and can be absorbed through the skin or eaten in food. (Reuters, 1 July 2002)

Activist Groups Oppose Public Financing of Caspian Oil Pipeline [Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey] -...In a three-page letter sent Tuesday to the heads of the World Bank, the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and U.S. and Japanese ECAs [export credit agencies], the groups [64 NGOs from 37 countries] argue that very few of the most important project documents have been released publicly and that the project's social, environmental, and even security impacts have yet to be fully assessed...Other partners besides BP include Italy's Eni, Statoil of Norway, and California-based Unocal. (Jim Lobe, One World, 26 June 2002)

Friends of the Earth challenges EU environment ministers to support global rules for big business - The world’s largest grassroots environment network delivered their demands to EU Environment Ministers meeting in Luxembourg, calling on them to support legally binding rules for big business. Friends of the Earth has made an international convention to stop multinational companies from causing environmental and social damage one of their chief international campaigning priorities. (Friends of the Earth, 25 June 2002)

HIV/AIDS: U.S., EU Back Easing Of Drug Patent Constraints -...The newspaper [Wall Street Journal] reports U.S. drug makers and, apparently, the Bush administration are supporting a WTO-administered waiver system, with countries obtaining generics on a case-by-case basis, while the EU is for an amendment to the TRIPS pact (UN Wire, 25 June 2002)

Green Electricity Scheme to Help Cut EU's Global Warming Pollution - Europe's businesses and public institutions could cut their carbon dioxide emissions by an amount equal to the emissions of Denmark by buying 'green' electricity said WWF, the conservation organization, today at the launch of a new campaign. (WWF, 24 June 2002)

US mulls WTO action to lift EU block on GM crops (David Evans, Reuters, 21 June 2002) 

EU accountants develop sustainable reporting framework - European accounting bodies are developing a detailed sustainability reporting framework, ahead of release of an EU white paper on corporate social responsibility later this month (Ross Kendall, Ethical Investor, 19 June 2002)

EU ratifies global warming pact, slams Washington (Irwin Arieff, Reuters, 3 June 2002) 

European parliament votes to regulate multinational companies - The European Parliament...has...voted for new legislation to require companies to publicly report annually on their social and environmental performance, to make Board members personally responsible for these practices, and to establish legal jurisdiction against European companies' abuses in developing countries. (Richard Howitt, Member of the European Parliament, 31 May 2002)

EU wants multinationals to publish ethical reports - The European Parliament backed a report yesterday asking multinationals to assess the social and environmental impact of their businesses in annual reports...."Of 2,500 voluntary codes of conduct promoted by business, two thirds ignore internationally recognised standards, avoid independent verification or disown responsibility down their supply chain." (Reuters, 31 May 2002)

Challenge to a voluntary preserve - Is legislation needed, to force companies to report on their social and environmental performance? (Alison Maitland & Michael Mann, Financial Times, 30 May 2002)

Mandatory social reporting – an idea whose time has come?...there should be a mandatory requirement for all companies to state their policy regarding social responsibility, human rights and environmental performance (even if the company’s decision is not to have a policy on some or all of these issues). The second [issue to address immediately] is to implement legislation requiring mandatory social and environmental reporting. (Peter Frankental, Business Group Manager of Amnesty International UK, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 13 May 2002)

EU coal, diesel subsidies clash with green ideals - The European Union is committed to reducing the pollution blamed for causing global warming, so why is it pumping vast subsidies into fossil fuels such as coal and diesel which are the main sources of greenhouse gases? (Robin Pomeroy, Reuters, 7 May 2002)

Bank Accountability Redux: The Campaign for Compliance and Appeal Mechanisms at the European Development Banks -...Now citizens’ groups in Eastern Europe, such as CEE Bankwatch Network and Friends of the Earth, have started to demand that the EU representatives to these banks establish mechanisms to allow citizens to voice concerns in cases where they are negatively affected by projects financed by the publicly owned banks. They are also seeking mechanisms to hold those institutions accountable to their own policies and procedures, as well as international laws and conventions. [refers to Frontera Resources oil development project in Azerbaijan] (Petr Hlobil, Centre for Energy and Transportation [Czech Republic], international oil and climate coordinator, CEE Bankwatch Network, in Multinational Monitor, May 2002)

Car makers face scrap costs under EU waste law - European Union carmakers must pay for recycling of scrap vehicles as from this week (Robin Pomeroy, Reuters, 25 Apr. 2002)

ICFTU & ETUC call for European Union Action on Burma -...the government of Burma has taken no concrete action to dismantle the forced labour system and to punish those still imposing the practice (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 24 Apr. 2002)

Brussels uses law to protect workers from sex pests: Firms across Europe will be financially liable under a new law if they fail to protect employees from sexual harassment in the workplace. (Stephen Castle, Independent [UK], 19 Apr. 2002)

EU agrees new law against sexual harassment: European workers will gain new protection from sexual harassment in the workplace and employers will be financially liable for cases of misconduct under an unprecedented new European Union law [due to come into force in 2005]. Under the legislation...employers will be required to prove, in response to employee complaints, that they had taken all possible preventive measures against sexual harassment. (Reuters, 19 Apr. 2002)

{···français} L'UE se dote d'une législation contre le harcèlement sexuel au travail (AFP, Le Monde, 18 avril 2002)

Comments from the European Commission on the Oxfam trade report (European Commission, 17 Apr. 2002)

TUC [UK] welcomes MEPs’ ‘toughest approach yet’ to asbestos -...The European Parliament’s proposed exposure limits would reduce British exposure limits by between half and two thirds, depending on the type of asbestos concerned. (TUC, 17 Apr. 2002)

press release: The Great Trade Robbery: Rich world swindles millions from the benefits of trade as global wealth divide widens to all time high - OXFAM today accused the rich world of robbing the poor world of $100 billion a year by abusing the rules governing world trade and denying millions of poor people their best escape route from poverty. (Oxfam, 11 Apr. 2002)

EU set to make electronics firms pay for recycling: The European Parliament is set to approve a law today making electrical equipment makers pay for dealing with their products when they have been thrown away, in Europe's biggest-ever drive to promote recycling. (Robin Pomeroy, Reuters, 10 Apr. 2002)

Enthusiasm and Some Concerns Voiced Over Partnership Proposals: The idea of using the World Summit on Sustainable Development as a launching pad for new partnerships between governments, the private sector, and community and citizen groups gained considerable momentum during a wide-ranging discussion of the concept at PrepCom III for the Summit [but qualifications expressed by EU, and concerns expressed by Third World Network and Women's Caucus] (United Nations website for the Johannesburg Summit 2002 - the World Summit on Sustainable Development, 2 Apr. 2002)

{···français} Emploi - La loi charge l'entreprise - Pour l'Europe, le patron doit prouver qu'il n'y a pas eu discrimination (Hervé Nathan, Libération [France], 2 avril 2002)

EU queries legality of Amazonian mahogany imports: The European Commission has told EU states not to allow shipments of Amazonian mahogany into Europe without ensuring that the timber was felled legally. (Stefano Ambrogi, Reuters, 2 Apr. 2002)

Europe's Double Standards: How the EU should reform its trade policies with the developing world (Oxfam, Apr. 2002)

MEPs Cave In To Big Business: Friends of the Earth today slammed MEPs on the European Parliament's Industry Committee for rejecting a proposal forcing EU firms to report on their social and environmental performance. The Committee instead opted for a 'voluntary approach' allowing corporations to decide for themselves whether to report on these issues - even though businesses have ignored similar requests, including one made by Prime Minister Tony Blair. (Friends of the Earth, 27 Mar. 2002)

GENETIC ENGINEERING: Natural, Modified Crops Inevitably Mix, EU Says - Potentially harmful genetic mixing between natural and engineered crop strains is inevitable despite safeguards in place, the European Union's European Environment Agency said last week in a new study. (UN Wire, 26 Mar. 2002)

Poor countries hit by subsidised fishing, UN says: The United Nations environmental agency UNEP warned poorer countries that uncontrolled opening of their waters to subsidised fishing fleets from Europe and Asia could bring economic disaster [refers to problems of nations like Argentina, Senegal and Mauritania which had allowed in foreign fleets from European Union member states, Japan, South Korea & China] (Robert Evans, Reuters, 18 Mar. 2002)

Brussels to step up anti-pollution drive: The Independent on Sunday's anti-asthma campaign has lead to a review of European pollution measures. Margot Wallstrom, the European Environment commissioner, has told national ministers that she will carry out the review in the light of new revelations that pollution from cars can cause the disease. She will then bring forward proposals for intensifying Europe's drive to combat exhaust fumes. (Geoffrey Lean, Independent [UK], 10 Mar. 2002)

DRC [Democratic Republic of the Congo]: Kimberley Process a "watchdog without teeth" - Describing the global diamond certification system thus far agreed upon in the Kimberley Process "a watchdog without teeth...", the Fatal Transactions network nongovernmental organisation is organising a meeting of experts in the European Parliament in Brussels...to "ensure that the EU takes its responsibility in stopping the vicious circle of trade and terror that continues fuelling Africa's most brutal wars". (U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks, 5 Mar. 2002)

CLIMATE CHANGE: European Environment Ministers Endorse Kyoto Protocol (UN Wire, 5 Mar. 2002)

EU proposes curbs on toxic chemicals by 2003: The European Commission approved plans this week to restrict by 2003 the public use of 43 chemicals which are believed to cause cancer, damage reproduction or pose a danger to human genes. The substances in question are used in special paints, printing inks, varnishes and adhesives, the EU's executive Commission said in a statement. (Reuters, 22 Feb. 2002)

Groups Urge 'No' to Cyanide Use in Mining: Environmental and human rights groups in the United States and Europe called on the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Thursday not to sanction cyanide leach mining, citing numerous environmental and public health disasters worldwide. (Danielle Knight, Inter Press Service, 21 Feb. 2002)

Responses to the Challenges of Globalization: A Study on the International Monetary and Financial System and on Financing for Development (European Commission, 13 Feb. 2002)

The European Response to Public Demands for Global Corporate Responsibility:...NPA studied policies developed in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the European Union, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Europeans have sprung ahead of the United States in fostering an environment that has led to a plethora of innovative public policies. (Susan Ariel Aaronson & James Reeves, National Policy Association, 5 Feb. 2002)

Parallel worlds reach informal accord: In a roundtable meeting in Paris last December, officials from the World Bank, the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organisation agreed in principle with social organisations including the World Social Forum on the need to promote "public debates on key issues of [the globalisation] conflict". (Raymond Colitt, Financial Times, 1 Feb. 2002) 

Polluters to pay under EU green liability plan: Polluting industries will be forced to clean up environmental damage, or pay the cost, under a new European Union law due to be launched in draft form yesterday... A coalition of all the big green groups...[said the draft law] was riddled with loopholes that made it worthless. (Robin Pomeroy, Reuters, 24 Jan. 2002)

EU passes laws to set up new food safety body: European Union farm ministers this week officially passed laws setting up a new European Food Safety Authority, designed to boost public confidence in the wake of alerts such as mad cow disease and dioxin poisoning. (Reuters, 23 Jan. 2002) 

EU clamps down on ozone pollution: The European Union is to clamp down on ozone pollution - the main component of smog which can be lethal to severe asthma sufferers - under new rules passed by the European Parliament yesterday. (Reuters, 18 Jan. 2002)

Western European companies dump toxic ships on Turkish beach: Greenpeace Holds EU partly responsible for Poisoning [comments on ship-scrapping in Turkey; calls on EU to demand its ship industry remove hazardous substances from ships prior to export] (Greenpeace, 14 Jan. 2002)

New Calls For Open Government in Europe: The European Federation of Journalists today warned that secrecy and a lack of accountability over corporate and political lobbying pose a threat to independent reporting of the European Union. (European Federation of Journalists, 14 Jan. 2002)

Call to 'Embarrass' Companies into Responsibility: The European Commission should embarrass companies into adopting corporate social responsibility policies rather than trying to regulate them into doing so, according to the latest issue of Ethical Performance. In an editorial setting out its position on the EC's green paper on CSR, the monthly business newsletter says the voluntary approach to CSR "is not working" (GreenBiz.com, 4 Jan. 2002)

2001:

EU [European Union] unveils new law to deter industrial accidents: The law includes measures aimed at improving safety measures for so-called "tailings ponds," which are used to store highly polluted water from mining activities. (Reuters, 11 Dec. 2001)

Britain scrambles to meet EU rules on junk mobiles: Britain's slim recycling facilities may be swamped by discarded and potentially hazardous mobile phones as millions of people switch to third generation models, industry sources said yesterday. (Amanda Cooper, Reuters, 6 Dec. 2001)

EC [European Commission] Adopts Sustainable and Responsible Investing with the Launch of Eurosif: Social investment forums throughout Europe joined forces to establish Eurosif, which will centralize efforts to promote socially responsible investing on the European continent. (William Baue, SocialFunds.com, 5 Dec. 2001)

A Strong Cartel: The European Commission in November fined eight companies [including Hoffmann-La Roche & BASF] a total of $755.1 million for participating in eight distinct secret market-sharing and price-fixing cartels affecting vitamin products..."It is particularly unacceptable that this illegal behavior concerned substances which are vital elements for nutrition and essential for normal growth and maintenance of life” [said Competition Commissioner Mario Monti] (Russell Mokhiber, Multinational Monitor, Dec. 2001)

Corporate Social Responsibility - an Investment not a Cost, says Commissioner: Having a well developed sense of social responsibility should be regarded as an investment for companies and not simply as a cost, said European Employment and Social Affairs Commissioner, Anna Diamantopoulou (EuropaWorld, 30 Nov. 2001)

EU approves UK pollution trading, may seek changes: A British plan to encourage firms to buy and sell the right the pollute was approved by the European Commission yesterday, but the EU body said it may have to change when a European emissions trading scheme starts (Reuters, 29 Nov. 2001)

Candidates would benefit from EU environment laws [Czech Republic & Poland among the chief beneficiaries]: Candidates for European Union membership will benefit financially from adopting the bloc's strict environmental protection rules despite the high costs involved, an EU study showed yesterday..."Between 15,000 and 34,000 cases of premature death across the candidate countries will be avoided through the implementation of EU air directives in 2010," the report said. It said there would be up to 180,000 fewer cases of chronic bronchitis in the region. (Marcin Grajewski, Reuters, 28 Nov. 2001)

Indo-EU Summit Urged to Tackle Caste: Human rights and anti-discrimination campaigners are urging India and the European Union to tackle issues of caste prejudice at a summit which opens in New Delhi Friday...many [Dalits] are still denied access to land, forced to work in degrading conditions, and abused at the hands of the police. (Kalyani, Oneworld South Asia, 23 Nov. 2001)

UK emission trading to go ahead despite EU concerns: Britain is pushing ahead with plans to allow industry to trade pollution rights despite the EU declaring the scheme fails to dovetail with its own proposed system, British officials said this week. (Reuters, 22 Nov. 2001)

Pollution agreement unifies troubled waters: Greenpeace urges governments to turn words into action - Twenty Mediterranean countries and the EU agreed on the steps they need to take to rid the region of all hazardous substances by 2025, as the Barcelona Convention meeting for the protection of the Mediterranean ended in Monaco today. (Greenpeace, 17 Nov. 2001)

EU Parliament calls for widespread chemicals tests: The European Parliament endorsed yesterday a report calling for widespread testing of chemicals to assess their health and environmental impact despite strong opposition from industry. (Lisa Jucca, Reuters, 16 Nov. 2001)

EU Charged with Serving Interests of Big Tobacco: With the next round of negotiations for the world's first public health treaty set to begin next week in Geneva, the European Union position on key issues in the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is being roundly criticized by NGOs around the world. While a few European countries, most notably Sweden, have taken a leadership role in tobacco control, the European Union has adopted positions disturbingly sympathetic to transnational tobacco corporations. (Corporate Europe Observatory & Infact, 15 Nov. 2001)

Triumph for world trade talks:...Developing countries have the right to produce drugs cheaply in the case of a medical emergency...WTO members have accepted EU demands that investment, competition and environment rules be put on the agenda. (Steve Schifferes, BBC News, 14 Nov. 2001)

WTO agrees to launch new trade round: One of the Doha talks' biggest achievements was an agreement to shelter poor countries' access to medical supplies from the threat of legal challenge in the WTO. The deal partly resolves a bitter dispute fuelled by poor countries' complaints about difficulty in obtaining treatments for HIV/Aids and other diseases...One of the biggest stumbling blocks was France's refusal to accept wording in the draft agenda that called for "elimination" of farm subsidies. France dropped its opposition only when the EU succeeded, after all-night talks, in inserting a qualification and in obtaining a stronger WTO commitment to negotiate on trade and environment. (Guy de Jonquières, Financial Times, 14 Nov. 2001)

EU deputies to call for widespread chemicals tests: The European Parliament is expected to call today for widespread testing of chemicals to assess their health and environmental impact, a move likely to face opposition from the industry (Reuters, 14 Nov. 2001) 

WTO Declaration on TRIPS and Health "the fight is not over": Under the leadership of the Africa Group, a bloc of more than 80 countries representing a majority of WTO Member States forced concessions from rich countries on the controversial issue of public health and drug company patent rights, despite fierce pressure from the U.S., E.U., Japan and Switzerland to divide the countries....But the declaration that emerged on public health and TRIPS from three days of negotiations was robbed of its full potential, activists say..."At the end of the day, opposition from rich countries crippled the legally binding language sought by the majority of WTO countries." (Health GAP Coalition, 13 Nov. 2001)

Oxfam, EU clash over market access for the poor: In Doha where the World Trade Organisation (WTO) meeting is being held, the British charity organisation, Oxfam and the European Union (EU) Commissioner Pascal Lamy clashed publicly on whether the industrialised world had lived up to its promises to extend fair trade to the poor world. The Oxfam indictment, a widely-circulated document called Eight broken promises: Why the WTO isn't working for the world's poor, drew a fiery response from Lamy who issued a six-page riposte, ripping into the Oxfam research. (Farah Khan, Daily News [Zimbabwe], 13 Nov. 2001)

EU says environment must be in new trade talks: The European Union insisted on Sunday that environmental issues must be part of a new round of global trade negotiations and said it did not see why it should make concessions in other areas to win agreement on this. (Reuters, 13 Nov. 2001)

Trade and Environment: What Europe really wants and why - The European Union is among the most active supporters of a positive "environment" and "sustainable development" agenda in WTO. (European Union, 11 Nov. 2001)

Greening Doha : the EU's Trade and Environment Agenda (speech by European Union Commissioner Pascal Lamy, delivered to the Greenpeace 'Safe Trade' Seminar, 11 Nov. 2001)

ILO blasts govt subsidies: The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has said that subsidising of agriculture by developed countries is killing employment in the third world. (Eliud Miring'uh, East African Standard [Nairobi], 10 Nov. 2001)

Lithuanian Mazeikiu approves pollution measures: Lithuanian oil concern Mazeikiu Nafta said yesterday it was starting a series of pollution control measures to reduce emissions and lost product to meet European Union standards. (Reuters, 8 Nov. 2001)

Kyoto climate talks face new hurdle: Negotiators hoping to wrap up a deal to bring the Kyoto accord on global warming into effect faced a new hurdle yesterday as a handful of countries sought to delay fixing rules for punishing excessive polluters. Conference documents circulated at U.N. talks in Marrakesh showed Japan, Russia, Canada and Australia, less enthusiastic about the pact than the European Union, had proposed that rules to enforce compliance with national targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions should not be decided on until 2003. (Robin Pomeroy, Reuters, 2 Nov. 2001) 

Dead cellphones reborn after EU order to recycle:...Europe now has a plan to encourage the recycling of the phones, for both economic and environmental reasons, with new European Union recycling regulation coming into force...After a debate between EU agencies, responsibility will likely fall on equipment makers to take care of their own products (Anna Peltola, Reuters, 2 Nov. 2001) 

German VDEW rejects mandatory emissions trading: German power industry association VDEW yesterday rejected European Union plans to stipulate the trading of pollution right certificates from 2005, saying its voluntary climate protection measures would suffer. (Reuters, 26 Oct. 2001) 

Eastern Europe countries battle legacy of the past: More than 10 years after the 1989 collapse of communism, the rusting remains of smelters and mines are a legacy eastern Europe is finding hard to get rid of. Dilapidated smelting and mining facilities continue to spew toxins into an already befouled environment in these countries, many of which are hoping to join the European Union. The EU is using the lure of enlargement to push candidate states to put clean-up high on their agenda. [Details on Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria] (Adrian Dascalu, Reuters, 24 Oct. 2001)

EU delay on climate change package angers greens: The European Commission postponed a major legislative package to combat global warming yesterday, angering environmentalists. EU officials insisted the delay was purely technical but pressure groups blamed last-minute industry lobbying. (Reuters, 18 Oct. 2001)

Green Backlash Feared from World Slowdown: European Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstrom has voiced fears that economic gloom in the wake of last month's terrorist attacks on the United States could crowd environmental issues off the global agenda. (Environment News Service, 16 Oct. 2001)

Japan, EU agree to block farm trade liberalization: Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka and European Union Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy reaffirmed Saturday their intention to oppose drastic farm trade liberalization at the proposed launch of new global trade talks under the World Trade Organization, a Japanese official said...Tanaka said Japan will extend as much support as possible to the EU's bid to seek WTO negotiations on the environment as Japan believes the issue is important. But another Japanese official said Japan is not likely to support the idea of "precautionary principles" that the EU wants the WTO to address in the next trade round. The principles would allow countries to restrict imports, without scientific evidence, of goods they believe would damage the environment. (Japan Times, 14 Oct. 2001)

British oil firms accused of Burma abuses: Burmese soldiers retained by the British companies Premier Oil and TotalFinaElf are guilty of multiple human rights abuses and subject local peasants to forced labour, extortion and beatings, the European parliament was told yesterday [testimony by Earth Rights International; article includes responses by Premier Oil and TotalFinaElf] (Andrew Osborn, Guardian [UK], 12 Oct. 2001)

EU largely isolated on WTO environment issue: The European Union stepped up its bid this week for negotiations on environmental issues to be included in any new trade round, but most members of the World Trade Organisation remained firmly opposed, officials said. (Reuters, 10 Oct. 2001)

EU Commission moves to end ban on new GM crops: The European Commission has worked out a compromise to allow EU governments concerned about genetically modified (GM) crops to lift a ban on new varieties, according to documents obtained by Reuters yesterday...The Commission will meet food regulation experts from EU states next Tuesday to discuss the de-facto moratorium which has left GMOs, developed by life sciences giants such as Novartis and Monsanto, in regulatory limbo. (Robin Pomeroy, Reuters, 10 Oct. 2001) 

Gene patents are legal, EU court rules: A European Union court upheld an EU law yesterday that allows companies to patent genetic sequences found in plants and animals, rejecting the Netherlands' attempt to overturn the law (Reuters, 10 Oct. 2001) 

EU says biotech foods may be safer than regular food: Contradicting the prevailing sentiment in Europe against biotech crops, a report Tuesday from the European Union's head office suggested they may be even safer than regular foods. (Paul Geitner, Associated Press, 9 Oct. 2001)

NGOs call on Environment Ministers to ensure ambitious environment indicators for EU: Three leading European environmental organisations have called on EU Environment Ministers, on the eve of a crucial working group meeting for the Environment Council, to claim a key role in the further development of the EU Sustainable Development Strategy. In a letter to the Ministers, the three – the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), Friends of Nature International (IFN) and Friends of the Earth Europe (FOEE) – presented a set of 10 indicators that should be used to ensure that the environmental dimension of such a Strategy is safeguarded. (European Environmental Bureau, Friends of Nature International and Friends of the Earth Europe, 9 Oct. 2001)

Europe threatened by massive increase in GMO foods: Commission proposes "voluntary agreements" with biotech industry - Friends of the Earth (FoE) has accused the European Commission of disregarding public health and environmental concerns by proposing to undermine future legislation on GMO foods and crops. The Commission is calling on EU Member States to trust "voluntary agreements" with the biotech companies and to break the current moratorium on GMOs. If agreed this would give the go-ahead for 13 new GMO crops and 11 new foods, none of which have been approved under future more rigorous legislation already agreed by the European Union. (Friends of the Earth, 5 Oct. 2001)

Europe Tightens Corporate Environmental Accounting Rules: The European Commission has issued stricter guidelines for all financial environmental costs and liabilities reporting by companies covered by European Union accounting directives. The voluntary recommendation clarifies existing European Union accounting rules and seeks to improve the quality, transparency and comparability of environmental data in EU companies' financial reports to stakeholders. (Donald Sutherland, Environment News Service, 5 Oct. 2001)

EU stance on environment threatens new trade round: European Union insistence that the World Trade Organisation negotiate on environmental rules could sink prospects for a new global trade round, trade diplomats said on Thursday. (Frances Williams, Financial Times, 4 Oct. 2001)

EU ups stakes over environment in trade round push: The European Union insisted yesterday that negotiations on environmental rules had to be included in a new trade round, upping the stakes in end-game efforts to get fresh liberalisation talks launched next month. (Robert Evans, Reuters, 4 Oct. 2001) 

EU eases CO2 trading rules after industry pressure (Robin Pomeroy, Reuters, 2 Oct. 2001) 

EU calls for new housing laws after Toulouse blast: The blast at a French petrochemicals plant last week that killed 29 people has heightened the need for new laws to separate hazardous industrial factories from residential areas, the European Commission said yesterday. (Reuters, 2 Oct. 2001) 

Hungary still counting cost of pollution legacy: Varga and more than 1,000 other local residents sued the former Metalloglobus battery disposal factory nearly 10 years ago, claiming it was responsible for tainting 200,000 square metres (2.15 million square feet) of nearby land with lead, copper and other heavy metals that leaked deep into the soil. The cancer rate in the capital's 22nd District, where Varga lives, is officially three times the national average...some are questioning how Hungary succeeded in completing environment negotiations with the European Union, which it hopes to join by 2004. (Kristen Schweizer, Reuters, 1 Oct. 2001)

The paradox of anti-globalisation: In an open letter, Guy Verhofstadt, prime minister of Belgium and current president of the European Union, argues that more, not less globalisation is the answer to the problems of the developing world - as long as it is advanced according to his ethical vision (Guy Verhofstadt, Prime Minister of Belgium, in Guardian [UK], 28 Sep. 2001)

Open Letter to EU Trade Commissioner Lamy Concerning the Transatlantic Business Dialogue (TABD): With this letter, signed by 20 groups from 11 European countries, we appeal to you and the rest of the European Commission delegation not to attend the Transatlantic Business Dialogue (TABD)'s CEO Conference in Stockholm, 11-12 October 2001. We are deeply concerned about the inappropriate, undemocratic powers over trade policies and regulatory decision-making granted to large corporations through the TABD process. (Corporate Europe Observatory, 26 Sep. 2001) 

Greenpeace urges the European Commission to stop import of Monsanto's genetically modified "RR" soya (Greenpeace, 6 Sep. 2001)

EU seeks public input on new biotech strategy: The public consultation will take the form of questions posted on the EU executive's web site, inviting comments from industry, consumer groups and individuals on issues ranging from genetically modified (GM) foods to stem cell research. (Reuters, 6 Sep. 2001)

EU to challenge German green power aid - magazine: European Union Competition Commissioner Mario Monti is due to launch action against German subsidy laws for so-called green energies, according to an article in Focus magazine. (Reuters, 5 Sep. 2001)

German industry slams EU emissions trading plan: The German energy industry was firmly at loggerheads with government and European Commission officials Tuesday over plans to introduce an EU state-wide, company-based emissions trading system by 2005. (Reuters, 29 Aug. 2001) 

EU defends new rules on genetically modified food: The European Commission defended proposed new rules on genetically modified foods yesterday despite reports that the U.S. government believes they break international trade laws. (Reuters, 29 Aug. 2001)

EU says no evidence US GM soybeans pose risk: The European Commission said this week it had no scientific evidence that a brand of genetically modified soybeans - which environmental group Greenpeace wants banned - posed a health risk. (Reuters, 22 Aug. 2001) 

Unequal 'freetrade' threatens food security: Food security in the SADC [Southern African Development Community] is the biggest casualty of a flawed world trading system - The forces of globalization pose a real danger to food security in the southern African region where the bulk of the countries are under constant pressure to open up markets in line with what are now obligatory western-led economic policies. (Munetsi Madakufamba, Daily Mail & Guardian [Johannesburg], 13 Aug. 2001)

Consumers ask Asia to adopt tough EU GMO rules: The European Union's new rules on food derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are likely to spur Asian consumers to ask their governments for tougher safeguards against GMOs, analysts said yesterday. (Jae Hur, Reuters, 27 July 2001) 

EU presents tough rules on gene labels, tracing: The European Commission yesterday unveiled long-awaited new rules on the labelling and traceability of foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) aimed at restarting its stalled approvals process.  (David Evans, Reuters, 26 July 2001) 

Green MEPs endorse ‘shrink or sink’ of WTO: “The time has come to acknowledge the crises of the international trading system and its main administering institution, the WTO (and) replace this old, unfair and oppressive trade system with a new, socially just and sustainable trading framework for the 21st Century,” the Greens/EFA group of the European Parliament have said in a statement adopted 27 June. (Chakravarthi Raghavan, South-North Development Monitor, 20 July 2001)

Drugs: US, Europe Battle Over Pricing Rules: Even before the United Nations has reached its goal of $10 billion for Secretary-General Kofi Annan's global HIV/AIDS fund, the United States and Europe are going head to head over how the funds should be spent and, in particular, issues surrounding pharmaceutical drugs. (UN Wire, 20 July 2001)

European Commission initiatives, 18 July 2001:

EU urged to focus farm reform on environment: Reform of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy should require farmers to earn the right to subsidies based on better environmental use of land, European industrialist Lord Haskins said this week. (Reuters, 17 July 2001)

Japan resists EU pressure to ratify Kyoto treaty: Japan on Monday resisted pressure from the European Union to ratify the ailing Kyoto climate treaty, insisting that US participation was essential if it were to have any meaning. (David Ibison and Michael Mann, Financial Times, 9 July 2001)

New EU law aims to double green energy by 2010: The European Parliament approved a law yesterday that aims to double the share of renewable power in European Union's energy mix by 2010, forming a cornerstone of the EU's climate change policy. (Robin Pomeroy, Reuters, 5 July 2001)  

Fisheries caught in a cycle of destruction [Mauritania]: The fish catch dominated the subsistence economy of Iwik village, which is close to the rich fishing grounds of the Banc d'Arguin, and part of Mauritania's premier national park. But today most of the fish are gone. For in recent years, the rest of the world has discovered these rich fishing grounds and has been plundering them...the European Commission has bought rights to fish Mauritania's waters (Fred Pearce, World Wildlife Fund, July 2001)

Alleged Abuses, Fraud and Graft Dog Chad-Cameroon Pipeline: European Parliamentarians (MEPs) may seek a freeze on both European Union (EU) aid to Chad and loans to the controversial Chad-Cameroon Oil and Pipeline Project over allegations the government engaged in electoral fraud, human rights abuses and the misallocation of funds earmarked for the pipeline's completion. (Brian Kenety, Inter Press Service, 25 June 2001) 

EU drafts ambitious climate emissions trade plan: A wide range of major European Union industries will be forced to take part in buying and selling the right to emit carbon dioxide (CO2), under a draft EU law seen by Reuters on Friday. (Robin Pomeroy, Reuters, 25 June 2001) 

EU chief slams Boeing over gas-guzzling new jet (Robin Pomeroy, Reuters, 25 June 2001)

EU and Canada agree to promote climate protocol (Reuters, 22 June 2001) 

EU provisionally sets 2001 deadline for Kyoto (Reuters, 18 June 2001)

EU to urge others [including Japan, Canada, Australia] to ratify Kyoto despite US (Reuters, 18 June 2001)

EU to crusade for climate change accord (Ian Geoghegan, Reuters, 18 June 2001)

Bush gives final thumbs-down to Kyoto treaty (Brian Williams, Reuters, 15 June 2001)

EU says Bush climate change ideas short on action (Reuters, 13 June 2001) 

Environment: EU Has Twice the Climate Remedies Needed to Hit Kyoto Target (Environment News Service, 11 June 2001)

EU environment head says summit is historic chance: The European Union's top environment official challenged EU leaders on Friday to set ambitious targets for saving the world's environment when they meet at a summit in Gothenburg, Sweden next week. (Robin Pomeroy, Reuters, 11 June 2001) 

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY: Call for clean technology to boost exports - Green barriers being put up by Europe [Thailand] (Aphaluck Bhatiasevi, Bangkok Post, 6 June 2001)

US: EU Criticizes US For Not Revealing Environmental Data (UN Wire, 1 June 2001)

Commissioners Press Pharmaceutical Industry to Deliver on Low Cost Medicines: The European Union this week urged the pharmaceutical industry to adopt a pricing mechanism that would ensure poor countries could buy essential medicines at the lowest possible price. (EuropaWorld, 1 June 2001)

EU To Look At Oil Companies' Investments In Sudan [planned European Union fact-finding mission to investigate alleged human rights abuses] (Dow Jones, 30 May 2001)

EU criticises US on environment despite UN pact [United Nations treaty to ban certain toxic chemicals] (Eva Sohlman and Alister Doyle, Reuters, 23 May 2001) 

Energy experts say EU may not meet Kyoto target (Robin Pomeroy, Reuters, 23 May 2001)

EU [European Union] says Bush energy plan disappointing on climate (Reuters, 21 May 2001) 

EU assembly toughens up waste electronics law: The European Parliament voted yesterday to toughen up a draft law to make electrical and electronic equipment makers pay for the recycling of their discarded products (Reuters, 16 May 2001)

Industry ministers balk at cost of EU chemicals plan (Reuters, 16 May 2001) 

FAO to seek EU aid to remove pesticide waste [United Nations and industry officials urge European Union to provide financial support for the disposal of pesticide waste in developing countries] (Reuters, 14 May 2001)

Best business practices for corporate social responsibility: report of the concluding session [conference entitled "Best business practices for corporate social responsibility : Management tools for implementing the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises"] (European Commission, 22 May 2001)

EU launches three-year probe to get cleaner air (Reuters, 8 May 2001)

EU sees potential clash between WTO, green pacts (Reuters, 7 May 2001)

Sen [Nobel Economics Laureate Amartya Sen], Patten [European Union External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten] On Globalization, Bretton Woods Reform (Press Review: Development News, World Bank, 4 May 2001)

Enlarging the European Union Will Save Lives by Cutting Pollution (Alexandru R. Savulescu, Environment News Service, 30 Apr. 2001)

European Parliament votes for substitution of PVC plastic (Greenpeace, 3 April 2001)

Commissioner [European Commissioner for Trade] Defends TRIPS but Acknowledges NGO Concerns (EuropaWorld, 23 Mar. 2001)

European Parliament demands that drug companies drop case against South African Medicines Law: MSF and Oxfam welcome unprecedented call for access to medicines (Oxfam and Médecins Sans Frontières, 17 Mar. 2001)

Euro Parliament wants to get cheap AIDS drugs to South Africa (Agence France-Presse, 15 Mar. 2001)