Under the influence

Lobbyists crawl around legislators

An Action Aid report on lobbying, released on January 25, 2006, highlights privileges enjoyed by corporate lobbyists in framing global trade rules under the WTO regime. The report exposes the underbelly of corporate lobbying that has led to unfair trade laws and undermined the fight against poverty.

The report states around 15,000 lobbyists are based in Brussels, roughly one for every member of the staff at the European Commission. More than 70 per cent of these lobbyists represent business interests; only 10 per cent represent social interests. The report pegs annual corporate expenditure for lobbying in Brussels at anything between