MEP-Industry Forums are groups that invove MEPs from different parties meeting with interest representtaives from a respective sector. They facilitate broad sectoral interest representation during conferences and lunch debates that are organized and where business people talk about the issues of concern to them in their sector. They play a very useful role in that they support MEPs in their efforts to shape policy and regulations by facilitating and strengthening the exchange of information. These forums are important because the sectors represented create jobs in Europe.

MEP-Industry Forums are groups that invove MEPs from different parties meeting with interest representatives from a respective sector. They facilitate broad sectoral interest representation during conferences and lunch debates that are organized and where business people talk about the issues of concern to them in their sector. They play a very useful role in that they support MEPs in their efforts to shape policy and regulations by facilitating and strengthening the exchange of information. These forums are important because the sectors represented create jobs in Europe.

MEP-Industry Forums are groups that invove MEPs from different parties meeting with interest representtaives from a respective sector. They facilitate broad sectoral interest representation during conferences and lunch debates that are organized and where business people talk about the issues of concern to them in their sector. They play a very useful role in that they support MEPs in their efforts to shape policy and regulations by facilitating and strengthening the exchange of information.

Short or extended period of U.S. Government shutdown, the fact is Asians and the Chinese in particular have been preparing for a calamity in the U.S. Treasury market for years. Most foreign investors in U.S. Treasuries have converted their long term bond holdings to short term bond holdings; meaning, they could liquidate their bonds at a moment's notice. It is a fact that overall purchase levels of U.S. treasury bonds are either static, or falling depending on the nation involved.

D’une façon générale les cercles d’affaires (business clubs) favorisent le rassemblement d’hommes et femmes d’affaires, chefs d’entreprise, dirigeants, politiciens,  profession libérales, représentants des médias ayant en commun la volonté de développer leurs affaires et leurs réseaux de relations professionnelles souvent dans un lieu prestigieux. Par leur qualité, les membres de ces cercles jouent un rôle majeur au plan économique, social et politique.

There are many voices that drive the debate about Europe's future. When it comes to the future shape of Europe economically, socially and politically there is an absence of a common vision. There is a tumult of debate, discussion and dissension:The French/German motor is not sparking in synch. There are differences North/South; between large and small; between those who favour a more conservative fiscal approach and those who favour a more lax one; on a range of topics from defence through to labour market reform.

Eurosceptics are citizens or politicians who present themselves as ‘sceptical’ - critical - of the Union which they say takes powers away from their national government and poses a threat to their national sovereignty. There are supposedly two forms of euroscepticism - ‘hard’ and ‘soft’. ‘Hard’ or ‘withdrawalist’ euroscepticism is the opposition to membership or the existence of the EU. ‘Soft’ or ‘reformist’ euroscepticism supports the existence of the EU and membership to the Union, but opposes further integrationist EU policies and the idea of a federal Europe.

The list here below of the Top 100 corporate spenders in EU lobbying activities is provided for indication only. It may contain errors and inaccuracies as the data are taken from the Transparency Register. It should not be used for meaningful analysis and the data should be verified for accuracy.

The list here below shows the biggest spenders (above € 1 million) in the category ‘Companies & Groups' sourced from the Transparency Register on 17 March 2013 and ranked and published by Dutch news website Sargasso. The expenditures in the list are based on either the exact stated amount in an entry or where declarations give a range the lower threshold has been taken.

"The current crisis challenges quite a number of established perceptions about Europe. Social and even political costs of the crisis are already testing the strength of some ideas that for a long time seemed self-evident. Europe risks losing part of its aura as a symbol of solidarity, modernity and prosperity by staying immersed in a lengthy self-examining exercise that exposes to the world a false image of weakness and division.