MEPs copy-pasting amendments from US lobbyists

A European privacy group claimed in February 2013 that dozens of amendments to the new Data Protection Regulation being proposed by Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are being copied word-for-word from corporate lobby papers, with MEPs frequently failing to even remember their own amendments.

Max Schrems, of the website and campaign Europe v Facebook, noticed striking similarities between proposed amendments and lobby papers written by representatives of Amazon, eBay, the American Chamber of Commerce and the European Banking Federation.

Privacy International, 12.02.13: Amazon and eBay lobbyists found to be writing EU data protection law in copy-paste legislation scandal https://www.privacyinternational.org/press-releases/amazon-and-ebay-lobbyists-found-to-be-writing-eu-data-protection-law-in-copy-paste

Website: Europe v Facebook http://www.europe-v-facebook.org/EN/en.html

Website: LobbyPlag http://www.lobbyplag.eu/#/compare/overview

Deutsche Welle, 14.02.13: Is the EU beholden to lobbyists? http://www.dw.de/is-the-eu-beholden-to-lobbyists/a-16597580

PressEurop, 08.02.13: Friedrich Moser: “There’s a democratic deficit in the EU” http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/blog/3381851-friedrich-moser-there-s-democratic-deficit-eu

Website: The Brussels Business http://www.thebrusselsbusiness.eu/

Blog: European Dialogue, 04.03.13: Is the EU beholden to lobbyists? http://eurodialogue.org/europe-east/Is-the-EU-beholden-to-lobbyists%3F

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