30 November 2006

Yesterday, Corporate Europe Observatory, Friends of the Earth Europe, LobbyControl and Spinwatch sent letters to EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson and Finnish Presidency trade expert Eeva Korolainen, urging them to cancel of EU trade officials and Member State trade experts in a closed meeting annex cocktail party organised by the European Services Forum next Monday 4 December (17:00-20:00) at the UNICE building, Av. Cortenbergh 118 Brussels.

Services industry lobbyists are scheduled to brief EU trade experts on their recent lobbying missions to Malaysia and Indonesia, while the EC representatives are to report on the current on-going bilateral and regional negotiations (GCC, Euromed, EPAs, etc.). Discussion on how to resume the stalled DDA negotiations, on the new EU Trade Policy Strategy and on the importance of services in the forthcoming bilateral negotiations are also on the agenda.

After that, the cocktails will be brought in...

Our letters and the leaked documents through whch we learned of this meeting are available on the CEO website at: http://www.corporateeurope.org/esfcocktaildec2006.html

Peter Mandelson is candidate for the Worst Privileged Access category in the Worst EU Lobby Awards 2006. You can cast your vote till next Monday, 4 December.