Houston Consulting Europe

Houston Consulting is an EU PR and lobbying firm run by John Houston the chair of the European Public Affairs Consultants Association, the lobbyists' lobby group.^{[1] [2]}

Houston and his firm were nominated for the 2005 Worst Lobbying Awards, for their role 'role running the European Parliamentary Financial Services Forum (EPFSF). The EPFSF brings together Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and lobbyists from Deutsche Bank, Citigroup, Société Générale and numerous other financial services giants. Their success was quoted in the Wall Street Journal, who describe how banking lobbyists used the EPFSF to water down the EU Money Laundering Directive, voted on in May this year'.^[3]

People

• John Houston
• Mike Vercnocke -appointed Director at Houston Consulting Europe in 2002, joined the City of London Corporation's City Office in Brussels in 2007.

Notes

1. ^Houston Consulting WebsiteHome Page
2. ^Politics, Business Mix Freely In Europe Parliament Patent-Law Reversal Shows How Members' Outside Jobs May Aid Corporate Interests By MARY JACOBY and GLENN R. SIMPSON Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL July 5, 2005; Page A10 BRUSSELS.
3. ^ EU Lobby Awards, 2005, Houston Consulting Europe, Nominated for arranging marriage between big banking lobbyists and Members of the European Parliament
4. ^ Glenn R. Simpson In Europe, Finance Lobby Sways Terror-Funding Law Legislators With Close Ties To Industry Water Down Money-Laundering Rules Wall Street Journal, May 24 2005.