By Louise Tait - 28th October 2009
Corporations represented by BusinessEurope like Shell, Arcelor Mittal and Daimler all lobby hard to obstruct strong action on climate change
Climate Alarm! spokesperson, Anna Martin
A high-level Brussels conference organised by BusinessEurope has been disrupted by demonstrators protesting over the lobbying group's involvement in climate change talks.
The demonstrators, from action group Climate Alarm! gathered on Tuesday morning and barricaded the entrance to the commission's Charlemagne building, where the conference was taking place.
The group's spokesperson, Anna Martin, told this website that campaigners had taken the decision to disrupt the event - organised by BusinessEurope, the main industry and employers lobby group based in Brussels - because they felt that "corporate lobbyists" should "have no role to play in deciding on how to deal with the climate crisis".
Martin accused the European commission of sending the "wrong signal" in allowing the conference to take place in the executive's Charlemagne building and described many of the companies represented by BusinessEurope as environmentally "among the most polluting".
"Corporations represented by BusinessEurope like Shell, Arcelor Mittal and Daimler all lobby hard to obstruct strong action on climate change," said Martin.
Martin accused the companies of resisting EU efforts to set tough climate targets, singling out Diamler which she said had been fighting against moves to reduce CO2 emissions from cars.
She also accused many of the companies represented by BuisnessEurope of attempting to "profit" from the climate change debate.
"At the same time they have made windfall profits from a failing carbon market and benefit from false and destructive solutions like nuclear power and agrofuels," she said.
"By hosting this BusinessEurope event, the European commission is endorsing the same corporations which have brought us to the brink of climate disaster."
Martin said the companies should have "no role" in the debate over how to tackle climate change and argued that they should play no part at the COP15 talks in December in Copenhagen, where world leaders are looking to forge an international deal on tackling climate change.
"These businesses have been part of the problem and are now presenting themselves as part of the solution," she said, adding that they are "making good business" and "promoting false solutions" such as nuclear energy, agrofuels and carbon capture and storage.
Martin said the group had expected the demonstration to pass peacefully, but protestors soon clashed with police, who used pepper spray against demonstrators locked in the building's revolving doors. According to Climate Alarm! there were a number of people injured in the area.
Martine criticised the police action as "outrageous", adding that it was clearly an example of "excessive violence" as they had already managed to gain access to the building by cutting through the protestors' chain.
Some 24 demonstrators were arrested, as well as one bystander who was not part of the protest.
A BusinessEurope spokesman declined to comment, saying they were too busy organising the conference.
The European commission has been condemned in the past for being too close to industry and business organisations. Today's demonstration took place just hours before the Brussels executive touted the success of it's much criticised lobbyist register.
Commission president José Manuel Barroso was due to deliver the closing speech at the conference.
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