teleSUR English | 1/30/2016
By the time civil society organizations realized the magnitude of the trade secrets directive, which helps companies sue if any protected information leaves their hands, it had already passed the European Council and was well on its way in European Parliament.
Corporate Europe Observatory researcher Martin Pigeon told teleSUR that staff had to lobby during extra hours and weekends to fill in an urgent last-minute need for a counteracting voice. With no nonprofit, watchdog group or union approached in drafting the directive, it nearly flew under the radar – at the expense of workers, whistleblowers and journalists alike.
To an unsuspecting citizen or politician not specialized in corporate language, the directive’s constant reference to “innovation” and “protection” may have seemed positive.
“You can get almost anything done with the ‘jobs and growth’ argument in Brussels at the moment,” said Pigeon.
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Naomi Cohen | journalist 