Corporate Europe

During the chaos of the eurozone crisis, few mainstream commentators have stopped to question the purpose of the European Union itself, and whose interests it serves. Corporate Europe goes beyond the divisions between nation-states, focusing instead on the division between the corporate elite and the peoples of Europe. David Cronin spent a year investigating the privileged access that big business enjoys in Brussels. In this book, he reveals how the EU's policies on health, climate change, armaments and food safety have been tailored to please an unaccountable elite. Making extensive use of previously unpublished documents, he explores how ideologically blinkered lobbyists have seized on the financial crisis of recent years to entrench the casino capitalism that caused the crisis in the first place. What emerges is a powerful expose of how vested interests in the EU have manipulated opportunities to introduce ideologically-driven reforms. David Cronin draws on his many years' experience in Brussels to expose the anti-democratic, pro-corporate agenda at the heart of the EU. This is a devastating indictment that should be required reading for every European citizen. -- John Hilary, Executive Director, War on Want Rigorously researched, elegantly written, and brilliantly analyzed, Corporate Europe reveals the rising power of corporations to set policy and govern our lives and societies. A fascinating and scary read, it is essential for anyone who wants to know where power truly lies. -- Joel Bakan, author of The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of PowerAcknowledgements A short guide to the European Union List of acronyms Introduction 1.Wrecking the welfare state 2.Bombarded by bankers 3.War is good for business 4.How we live and diet 5.Smoke and mirrors 6.Cheating on climate 7.The malign legacy of Peter Mandelson Conclusion: Taking Europe back Notes Index