Kenneth Haar
@kennethhaar.bsky.social
400 followers 530 following 87 posts
Researcher and campaigner, Corporate Europe Observatory, fighting corporate power. Keywords: social justice, democracy, environment, planet, kayaks, music, books, friends, Rikke and the kids. Based in Copenhagen, but most colleagues are in Brussels.
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Reposted by Kenneth Haar
corporateeurope.org
🎥 Film screening + debate 🎥

What: special preview screening of CEO's new doc on community resistance to the EU's green hydrogen drive. Followed by a debate + drinks 🍻
Where: Mundo Matonge, BXL
When: 19h00
With: @rosaluxstiftung.bsky.social @counter-balance.bsky.social @attacdeutschland.bsky.social
Reposted by Kenneth Haar
corporateeurope.org
You can also read @kennethhaar.bsky.social 's oped in 🇵🇹, 🇪🇸, 🇬🇧 (below)

"Precisamos do envolvimento cívico para livrar Bruxelas da mania da desregulamentação que domina a agenda actual, colocando as pessoas e o planeta em perigo", lê aqui o artigo em Pt no @publico.pt

www.publico.pt/2025/09/18/a...
Não este tipo de Europa, por favor
Precisamos do envolvimento cívico para livrar Bruxelas da mania da desregulamentação que domina a agenda actual, colocando as pessoas e o planeta em perigo.
www.publico.pt
Reposted by Kenneth Haar
Reposted by Kenneth Haar
Reposted by Kenneth Haar
corporateeurope.org
Before 1 Aug. the EU has to do a trade deal with Trump to avoid steep tariffs on exports.

Tough language is used, but the EU is actually giving big concessions.

Understand what is going in from our latest podcast, and see examples below

corporateeurope.org/en/2025/07/h...
How trade tariffs and deregulation go hand in hand | Corporate Europe Observatory
Listen to the brand new podcast episode, where Kenneth Haar discusses the link between the announced trade tariffs from the USA to the EU and deregulation.
corporateeurope.org
kennethhaar.bsky.social
The Trump camp have put unacceptable demands to the EU for him to cool the trade war: deregulate to please US corporations. Unfortunately, some of it fits hand in glove with the EUs own deregulation agenda.

Hear me talk to my great colleagues Joana and Marcella about that in this podcast.
corporateeurope.org
📻 New #podcast episode just dropped!
🌶️ It's summer, so we decided to stay hot and talk about the trade tariffs the US will impose on the EU starting August 1st, and how that is linked to the EU Commission's deregulation wave

🎧 Teaser below + full epiode here 👉 open.spotify.com/episode/35PG...
Reposted by Kenneth Haar
corporateeurope.org
In Feb we & @lobbycontrol.bsky.social complained about likely under- & over-reporting in EU lobby register.

Secretariat has now come back with outcome which shows €47 millions-worth of changes

💶 €2,450,000 added
💶 €23,145,000 taken off
💶 €22,150,000 removed

corporateeurope.org/en/complaint...
On the left of this cartoon is a small box labelled ‘small company’ with an arrow labelled ‘over-declares lobby spending’. Below this is a large box labelled ‘massive company’ with an arrow which says ‘under-declares lobby spending’. On the right is a distorted picture of a man with a tie holding a briefcase and it is labelled ‘EU lobby register – A distorted picture of lobbying’. Cartoon by @CartoonRalph.
kennethhaar.bsky.social
Today it was announced that the far right group Patriots for Europe will be in charge of the European Parliament's negotiations on the 2040 climate targets.

Well. What could possibly go wrong.

Worth noting, that without the support from conservative EPP group, the far right would be check-mate.
Reposted by Kenneth Haar
corporateeurope.org
On the wider #Chemicals Industry Action Plan, it seems clear that the toxics industry will be celebrating
The chemicals industry has a long legacy of defending harmful chemicals, a heavy climate footprint, and a tendency for hyperbolic lobbying to weaken important regulations needed to protect health and environment. Yet it has been rewarded with the omnibus, more state aid, new alliances with decision-makers, alongside action on chemical recycling, hydrogen, emissions trading, carbon capture... 
Industry lobbyists will be very satisfied with this outcome, but people, workers, and the environment will not benefit from these false solutions.
Reposted by Kenneth Haar
pascoesabido.bsky.social
1/2 We've made it to Strasbourg 🇫🇷🥖🧀 👔

Tomorrow @corporateeurope.org will be in the EU Parliament for a preview screening of our new documentary 🎥 The Scramble for Hydrogen in South Africa 🎥 See the teaser here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=AATC...

If you're in Strasbourg, join us! Deets below
kennethhaar.bsky.social
There is a strong chance we will see severe cuts in welfare across the EU in the coming years. Many member states already in dire straits, and now comes a wave of rearmament spending

The Danish EU Presidency began last week. They will not be of any help, for sure

www.euractiv.com/section/econ...
Military spending splurge ‘risk factor’ for EU economy, says Denmark - Euractiv
Stephanie Lose told Euractiv that Europe’s defence build-up must be combined with “wise decisions” to lower debt and deficit levels.
www.euractiv.com
kennethhaar.bsky.social
New data on top recipients of EU research funding in recent years: Airbus, Thales, Safran, Leonardo.

Holy smoke! Arms companies snatch the brunt!

And in a blunt rephrasing of the report: the support is not efficient. It is crude handouts to big corporations.
Reposted by Kenneth Haar
peoplevsbigtech.bsky.social
🚨 NEW POLL: roughly TWICE as many people in France, Germany & Spain want the EU to break up Big Tech giants, as those who don't.

@ec.europa.eu will soon decide whether to dismantle Google's toxic adtech monopoly. Will it listen to EU citizens and #BreakUpBigTech?

peoplevsbig.tech/large-majori...
kennethhaar.bsky.social
A guide to deregulation in the EU under the new EU Commission. May not give the full picture - that would be a report of 100 pages, but it does give the essentials: how it works, what is targeted (almost everything), who is calling the shots.

You may not know you need to know this, but you do!

🙃
corporateeurope.org
🌊The EU deregulation wave: set to last for years, heavily influenced by corporate lobby groups, plenty of attacks on social rights, climate policies, environmental protection.
How does that work?
Knowing 5 terms will get you far

👉 corporateeurope.org/en/2025/07/c...

#deregulation
#rulestoprotect
A crash course on the EU’s deregulation wave | Corporate Europe Observatory
The European Commission’s deregulation wave means attacks on labour rights, climate policies, nature protection, public health, and more. We explain the basic scheme behind this wave of destruction – ...
corporateeurope.org
Reposted by Kenneth Haar
corporateeurope.org
Really important story on corporate lobbying on #PFAS and #TFA in @ftm.eu this morning:

www.ftm.eu/articles/pol...
Nina Holland says: "This story shows that Big Polluters and their lobby groups used known lobbying tactics to bend science on the harmful impacts of PFAS and TFA, to the detriment of health & environment. When will the EU, and national governments, stand up to industry doing harm to people? When will they stop giving industry privileged access to decision making?"
Reposted by Kenneth Haar
corporateeurope.org
1/9

NEW! Check-out #3 in our FAQs on 🇪🇺's not so-Clean Industrial Deal, focussed on #Chemicals

Find out how next week’s Commission announcements look set to pamper chemicals industry both via subsidies + weakened protections for environment & health

corporateeurope.org/en/2025/06/f...
Cover image for article saying: Dirty Industrial Deal - FAQs Part III: Chemicals
With an EU Commission logo, and an industrial plant in the background.
Reposted by Kenneth Haar
corporateeurope.org
The anti-greenwash directive risks becoming the latest victim of the ever expanding EU #deregulation wave

The Commission announced it would withdraw the directive - and then changed position. But rightwing governments, MEPs and industry lobbies now smell blood

➡️ corporateeurope.org/en/deregulat...
Deregulation Watch | Corporate Europe Observatory
Check out our new posts on Deregulation Watch which helps civil society monitor new developments in the deregulation agenda, assess what’s at stake, and organise in defence of strong social, environme...
corporateeurope.org
kennethhaar.bsky.social
An intense get-together og trade unions, green groups etc to learn and strategise against the deregulation campaign at EU level just ended w a strong message from the ETUCs Isabel Schömann.

A great afternoon. Inspiring and energising despite low oxygen level

#RulesToProtect conference
kennethhaar.bsky.social
Encouraging. A room packed with tradeunionists, environmental activists and others. Together to discuss way to fight deregulation in Europe.
corporateeurope.org
It's so nice to see a completely crowded room at the #RulesToProtect conference, that is about to start now!

✊ The topics of discussion will include the rights we have and the ones we need, and policies that work for people with interventions from campaigners, trade unions and impacted communities
Reposted by Kenneth Haar
corporateeurope.org
📣 It's today and it's more than fully booked!

👉 High-level conference for policy makers, media, trade unions & CSO about the real-life dangers of this Commission's deregulation wave.

by @epsu.bsky.social @foeeurope.bsky.social @canclimateaction.bsky.social @eeb.org @eccjorg.bsky.social
Reposted by Kenneth Haar
corporateeurope.org
Last week the Commission presented a package of deregulation measures to favour companies w less than 750 employees (small midcaps).

Examples: F-gases, batteries, stock market rules, data privacy.

They did it by asking the companies what they wanted.

corporateeurope.org/en/deregulat...
Deregulation Watch | Corporate Europe Observatory
Check out our new posts on Deregulation Watch which helps civil society monitor new developments in the deregulation agenda, assess what’s at stake, and organise in defence of strong social, environme...
corporateeurope.org