European Policy Centre

This article is part of the Lobbying Portal, a sunlight project from Spinwatch.

The European Policy Centre (EPC) is a pro-business European think tank, founded in 1996. It is committed to making European integration work and enjoys an influential position within European politics. According to the ECP website its members include companies, professional and business federations, trade unions, diplomatic missions, regional and local bodies, as well as NGOs representing a broad range of civil society interests, foundations, international and religious organisations. The EPC defines its mission as "contributing to the construction of Europe", and to achieve this it "encourages a debate among all significant interest groups and channels the results to policy-makers". It makes no secret of placing "special emphasis on strengthening the interface of government with business". The EPC is one of the most prominent EU think tanks it relies on corporate funding and spokespeople often appear in the media as neutral commentators.

The European Policy Centre is based in Résidence Palace 155 rue de la Loi Brussels, a formerly a luxury apartment block that now contains offices for media organisations, think tanks including Lisbon Council and the journo-lobbying website TechCentralStation that Corporate Europe Observatory describes as "an aggressive US journo-lobbying website funded by companies like Microsoft, Exxon and McDonalds. The website www.Tech CentralStation.be is full of the kind of furious attacks on environmental and social legislation that are more commonly associated with radio talkshows from the US mid-west". The EPC makes no secret of its pro business stance. Corporate Europe Observatory report:

"We are action oriented and we believe that business must be more involved in public policies."

History

The Centre, as the EPC calls itself, was established in January 1997 by a trio of prominent public affairs people, Stanley Crossick, godfather of Brussels lobbying; Max Kohnstamm, former vice president of the Jean Monnet Action Committee; and John Palmer, former European editor of The Guardian. In 1991 Crossick, Kohnstamm and Palmer had founded the Belmont European Policy Centre, which was the predecessor of the EPC.

The EPC's bias towards industry is well reflected in the composition of its advisory board, which together with the advisors' team helps the three founders run the Centre, and also in its membership. The Centre claims to include trade unions, but in fact the only representative is Emilio Gabaglio, secretary-general of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), well-known for its constructive approach towards neoliberal European Union policies.

There are no other representatives of 'civil society' involved. However, the board does include six European parliamentarians, five former directors-general and a vice president of the European Commission, journalists from newspapers such as Le Monde and the Financial Times, corporate directors from Philips and Mars, and influential industrialists such as Peter Sutherland (former European commissioner and GATT director and current chairman of British Petroleum and Goldman Sachs International); the former and current ERT secretary generals Keith Richardson ^[1] and Wim Philippa; UNICE secretary general Dirk Hudig, and Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa from the executive board of the European Central Bank. The EPC enjoys significant financial support from its corporate members such as ABB, BAT, BP, British Telecom and Solvay -- all members of the European Roundtable of Industrialists (ERT) -- and other large corporations such as Dow, DuPont, Philip Morris and SmithKline Beecham. In exchange, these corporate donors are provided services such as regular contact with decision makers. ^{[2] [3]}

EPC: Roundtable on Alcohol Related Harm

This article is part of the Spinwatch public health oriented Alcohol Portal project.

The EPC were asked to chair a series of four meetings intended to‘identify areas of agreement between the stakeholders as to actions that can contribute effectively to the reduction of alcohol-related harm and indicate where and why there is disagreement, and in so doing help create confidence between stakeholders’. The EPC invited a number of industry stakeholders, public health NGOs the European Commission members states and academic experts. The substance of the meetings involved working through 78 issues related to alcohol policy presented by the European Commission in an informal draft of their communication on Alcohol. Each item was graded on the basis of a traffic lights system, green issues were broadly agreeable to all present and 68 of the measures were, to the surprise of health campaigners green. Seven were amber, indicating no overall agreement but that some compromises might be reached. Three were categorised as red issues where the industry simply refused to negotiate.

Dr Peter Anderson, author of the Alcohol In Europe report (2006) commented “The European Policy Centre (EPC) describes itself as ‘an independent, not-for-profit think tank, committed to making European integration work’. Its independence is, of course, ensured by the fact that its prime corporate members and sponsors include InBev, the world’s largest brewer and Philip Morris International”. The final outcome of this process, and other consultations resulted in the launch of the European Alcohol and Health Forum.

People

• Peter Sutherland (President); Chairman, Goldman Sachs International; Chairman of BP plc
• Max Kohnstamm (Honorary President); Former Vice-President of the Jean Monnet Action Committee; former President of the European University Institute, Florence
• Karel Van Miert (Vice-President); Former European Commissioner for Competition Policy
• Antonio Vitorino (Vice-President); Former European Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs
• David Arkless Senior Vice-President Corporate Affairs, Manpower Inc
• Stephen Badger Vice-President, Mars Incorporated
• Antony Burgmans Chairman of Unilever NV; Vice-Chairman of Unilever plc
• HE Dipak Chatterjee Ambassador of India to Belgium and Luxembourg and to the European Union
• Philippe de Schoutheete de Tervarent Former Permanent Representative of Belgium to the EU
• Stéphane Ducable Director of External Affairs, Microsoft EMEA
• Alan Dukes Director General, Institute of European Affairs, Dublin
• Gareth Evans President, International Crisis Group
• Piero Gastaldo Secretary General, Compagnia di San Paolo
• Xavier Gizard General Secretary, Conférence des Régions Périphériques Maritimes d'Europe
• Sylvie Goulard Associated Research Fellow at CERI (Paris); Teacher at Sciences Po (Paris) and College of Europe (Brussels)
• Craig Kennedy President, German Marshall Fund of the United States
• Erkki Liikanen Chairman of the Board, Finland's Bank; former European Commissioner for Enterprise and Information Society
• Tony Long Director, WWF European Policy Office
• Donald MacInnes Chief Executive, Scotland Europa
• Rory Macmillan Director, Government Affairs - EMEA, Nike
• Erika Mann Member of the European Parliament; Chair of Management Committee of Transatlantic Policy Network
• John Monks Secretary-General of European Trade Union Confederation
• Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa Former Member of the Executive Board, European Central Bank
• Robin Pauley President, European Affairs, BT Group
• Wim Philippa Secretary-General, European Round Table of Industrialists
• Gaëtane Ricard-Nihoul Secretary-General, Notre Europe
• Maria João Rodrigues Professor of Economics at the University of Lisbon, Member of the European Employment Task Force
• Witold Sartorius Co-ordinator of Programmes, Foundation for Economic Education, Warsaw
• Sir David Sieff Non-Executive Director, Marks & Spencer
• Luc Tayart de Borms Managing Director, King Baudouin Foundation
• Helen Wallace Director, European University Institute, Florence
• Maja Wessels Senior Vice-President Government Relations, Honeywell
• Monika Wulf-Mathies Managing Director Policy and Environment, Deutsche Post World Net; Adviser to Germany's Chancellor; former European Commissioner for Regional Policy.

Membership

Platinum membership is the highest offered by the EPC, however it appears that you are unable to pay for platinum level entry. Subscription charges are for one year’s membership. Gold membership is open to large multi-national businesses and costs €10, 000 per annum; silver membership is open to medium sized businesses and costs €5, 000 each year, while bronze membership is open to small businesses and costs €2,500. Professional and Business association membership costs€1 000. Foundations and Religious organisations can subscribe for €500. Diplomatic Representations are open to missions, embassies and permanent representations the subscription cost ranges between €500 and €1 250. For Inter-Governmental and Governmental Organisations Regional Bodies and Local Authorities subscription costs €1 000 NGOs can join for €500 while Platforms of Non-Governmental Organisations costs slightly more at €1 000.

Members listed on The EPC's Website include:

• 5 Platinum Members: BT, Johnson & Johnson, Manpower, Mars (founder company), Microsoft
• Former Platinum Members: Accenture | Honeywell | Marks & Spencer (founder) Nike | Unilever
• 53 Gold Members: ABB Europe | Air Liquide | Amgen | BASF Aktiengesellschaft | BAT | Boeing | BP | CEZ Group | COWI A/S | DAIMLER AG | Deutsche Post DHL | Deutsche Telekom | Dow | DuPont | Elia System Operator | EMBRAER, Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica | eni | Ernst and Young Europe | ExxonMobil | Ferrero Group - Soremartec | Finmeccanica | GE | GlaxoSmithKline | Goldman Sachs | IKEA | Intel | International Business Machines of Belgium (IBM Belgium) | Kraft Foods International | LUKOIL Belgium | Michelin | Nestlé | Nokia Corporation | Norsk Hydro ASA | OMV Aktiengesellschaft | Oracle Corporation | Philip Morris International | Philips | Procter & Gamble | RTL Group | Sanofi-Aventis | Solvay | Statoil ASA | Suez Environnement | Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd | Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson | Telenor ASA | Total | Toyota | Türk Telekom | United Technologies | UPS | Vodafone | White & Case
• 3 Silver Members: APCO Worldwide | EPPA | Trans Adriatic Pipeline
• 16 Bronze Members: Burson-Marsteller | Corporate Public & Strategy Advisory Group (CPS) | Edelman ¦ The Centre | FIPRA | Fleishman-Hillard | FTI Consulting | GALLUP | GPlus Europe | Grayling | Hill & Knowlton | IFOK GmbH | Kreab Gavin Anderson | MHP Communications | Nicholas Phillips Associates | The Brussels Office | Weber Shandwick
• 76 Professional & Business Associations: American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union (AmCham EU) | Assemblée des Chambres Françaises de Commerce et d'Industrie (ACFCI) | Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) | Association of Commercial TV in Europe (ACT) | Association of European Chambers of Commerce & Industry (EUROCHAMBRES) | Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE) | Brazilian Business Affairs | Brussels Office of the Swedish Trade Unions | BUSINESSEUROPE | CEFIC | Comité des Fabricants de Levure de Panification de l'Union Européenne (COFALEC) | Confederation of British Industry (CBI) | Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists of Turkey (TUSKON) | Confederation of Danish Industry (DI) | Confederation of European Community Cigarette Manufacturers (CECCM) | Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) | Confederation of Finnish Industries EK | Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers (VNO-NCW) | Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO) | Confederation of Swedish Enterprise | Danish Chamber of Commerce | Delegation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry Paris/Ile de France | EUCOMED | EU-Japan Centre for Industrial cooperation | EuroCommerce | EuropaBio | European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) | European Cement Association (CEMBUREAU) | European Coil Coating Association (ECCA) | European Committe for Cooperation of the Machine Tool Industries (CECIMO) | European Confederation of Private Employment Agencies (Euro-CIETT) | European Cosmetic Toiletry and Perfumery Association (COLIPA) | European Crop Protection Association (ECPA) | European Dairy Association (EDA) | European Federation for Retirement Provision (EFRP) | European Federation of Accountants (FEE)| European Federation of the Ceramics Industry (CERAME-UNIE)| European Financial Services Round Table (EFR) | European Flavour and Fragrance Association (EFFA) | European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) | European Landowners' Organisation (ELO) | European Livestock and Meat Trading Union (UECBV) | European Organisation for Packaging and the Environment (EUROPEN) | European Petroleum Industry Association (EUROPIA) | European Round Table of Industrialists (ERT) | European Smart Metering Industry Group (ESMIG) | European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) | European Tyre & Rubber Manufacturers' Association (ETRMA) | Fédération des Entreprises de Belgique (FEB) | Fertilizers Europe | Foreign Trade Association (FTA) | Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE) | German Savings Banks and Giro Association (Deutscher Sparkassen und Giroverband) (DSGV) | Industrial Minerals Association (IMA-Europe) | International Federation for Animal Health (IFAH) | International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations (IFRRO) | International Fur Trade Federation (IFTF) | International Rayon and Synthetic Fibres Committee (CIRFS) | Irish Business Bureau (IBB) | Japan Center for International Finance (JCIF) | Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO Brussels Center) | ORGALIME | PostEurop | Swiss Business Federation (economiesuisse) | The Brewers of Europe | The Confederation of Danish Employers (DA) | The Danish Association of Lawyers and Economists in Belgium (DJØF Belgium) | The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) | The Institute for the Accountancy Profession Sweden (Far AB)| The Oil Companies' European Organisation for Environment, Health and Safety (CONCAWE) | The Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees | Turkish Industry & Business Association (TÜSIAD) | Unico Banking Group | Union of EU Soft Drinks Associations (UNESDA-CISDA) | U.S. Chamber of Commerce | Verband der Chemischen Industrie (VCI) |
• 27 FOUNDATIONS: Bertelsmann Stiftung | British Council Brussels | Centre for European Studies | Compagnia di San Paolo | EGMONT - The Royal Institute for International Relations | European Climate Foundation | European Cultural Foundation (ECF) | European Foundation Centre (EFC) | European Foundation for Democracy | [[European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA) | Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung | Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian | Fundación Academia Europea de Yuste | Fundación Tres Culturas del Mediterráneo | Generation Europe | Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung | Institute of European Affairs (IEA) | King Baudouin Foundation | Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung | Madariaga European Foundation | Nationale Postcode Loterij | Open Society Institute – Brussels | Secure World Foundation (SWF) | Stiftung Mercator | Swedish Entrepreneurship Forum | Transatlantic Policy Network (TPN) | Ukrainian Foundation for Democracy "People First"
• 4 GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS: Bundesagentur für Arbeit | European Institute of Romania | Finnish Innovation Fund, (SITRA) | Representative Office of the Oesterreichische Nationalbank
• 15 INTER-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS: Council of Europe | EFTA Secretariat | EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) | European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) | European Investment Bank (EIB) | International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) | International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS) | International Monetary Fund (IMF) | Japan Bank for International Cooperation | NATO Parliamentary Assembly | Regional Cooperation Council | Secretariat of the Energy Charter | United Nations Office in Brussels| World Bank EU Office | World Health Organization (WHO)
• 58 NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS: AARP | Action for Global Health Brussels | ADEME | Amnesty International | ARI Movement | CARE for Europe | Caritas Catholica Vlaanderen | Caritas Europa | Central Europe Energy Partners | CHP (Turkish social democratic party) EU Office | Club of Madrid | Confrontations Europe | DCAF Brussels | EastWest Institute | Equality and Human Rights Commission | EU-Georgia Business Council (EUGBC) | EU-Japan Forum | EU-Korea Institute (EKI) | EurActiv.com | EuroAcademic - European Academic Studies Center | European Academy of Sciences and Arts | European Bahá'í Business Forum | European Centre for Research in Africa, Asia and Latin America (ECRAAL) | European Confederation of Junior Enterprises (JADE) | European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) | European Forum of Muslim Women | European Movement - Cyprus Council | European Office of Cyprus | European Renewable Energies Federation (EREF) | European Stability Initiative | European Youth Forum | EU Ukraine Business Council | Federation of Associations for Hunting and Conservation of the EU (FACE) | Federation of Islamic organisations in Europe (FIOE) | Independent Diplomat | Institute for Economics and Peace | Institute for European Environmental Policy | Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation | Institute for International and European Policy | Institute of European Studies Macau | Intercultural Dialogue Platform (IDP) | International Association for Human Values | International Center for Transitional Justice | International Crisis Group (ICG) | International Security Information Service Europe (ISIS) | [Network of European Foundations for Innovative Cooperation]] (NEF) ) | NGO "Corporate Relations Research Center" | ONE | Platform of European Social NGOs | Search for Common Ground | The Danish European Movement | The European Azerbaijan Society| The German Marshall Fund of the United States | The International Fund for Cooperation and Partnership "Black Sea-Caspian Sea" | The Pew Environment Group | The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) | Transparency International | WWF European Policy Office
• 37 REGIONAL BODIES AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES: Assembly of European Regions (AER) | Central Denmark EU Office | City of Aarhus | City of Vienna - Liaison Office | Conférence des Régions Périphériques Maritimes d'Europe (CRPM) | East-Netherlands Provinces | East Sweden EU Office | EUROCITIES | European Affairs Fund | Fundación Galicia Europa | Government of Catalonia – Representation to the EU | Hanse-Office | Helsinki EU Office | Ile-de-France - Europe | Liaison Agency Flanders -Europe | Mid-Norway European Office | North Norway European Office | North Sweden | Office of the Northern Ireland Executive | Oslo Region European Office | Province of Limburg | Representation Office of Carinthia | Representation of Lower Saxony to the EU | Representation of the Free State of Bavaria to the European Union | Representation of the State of Baden-Württemberg to the European Union | Representation of the State of Bremen to the EU | Republic of Srpska Representation in Brussels | Scotland Europa | Scottish Government EU Office | Skåne European Office | South Denmark European | Steiermark-Büro | Tampere Region EU Office | Turkish Cypriot Representation in Brussels | TURKU-Southwest Finland European Office | West Finland European Office | West Norway Office | West Sweden EU and Representation Office
• 6 Religious Organisations: Church and Society Commission of CEC | Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the EC (COMECE) European Evangelical Alliance | Jesuit European Office, Brussels (OCIPE) | Jesuit Refugee Service – Europe | Rabbinical Centre of Europe
• 3 Others: Aarhus University, Denmark | International Committee of the Red Cross | Maastricht University