A new report by Corporate Europe Observatory and LobbyControl reveals how big business associations and corporate think tanks have been using defamation tactics to undermine civil society groups campaigning for a democratic, socially and environmentally just EU trade policy. “Blaming the Messenger” analyses these attacks by the corporate interest representatives who have abandoned debate and turned to smear.

The report documents various misleading claims made against NGOs and other groups in the movement for trade justice, shows how the arguments and tactics used by corporate interest groups do not stand up to scrutiny, and how political and media allies of big business may be facilitating a more general crackdown on NGOs.

Pro-corporate trade deals like TTIP and CETA have caused a tidal wave of criticism from civil society organisations, academics, small businesses, local governments, trade unions, judges, and many others. Corporate proponents of these deals like BusinessEurope, Bertelsmann Stiftung, and the Center for European Policy Studies have responded by attacking the movement for a democratic, socially and ecologically just trade policy.

Their tactics include accusations of civil society groups scaremongering and manipulating an “uneducated” public for financial gain, and casting doubt on research. They have associated critics with the far-right and populist arguments against globalisation, accused them of being backed by Russia and of having suspect sources of funding.

Read the full report below.

Source: https://corporateeurope.org/sites/default/files/attachments/blaming-the-messenger_updated.pdf