15/11/2018 (Agence Europe) – Some 75 groups bringing together representatives from civil society (ATTAC, CADTM, CEO) and the mayors of several cities (Barcelona and Valencia in Spain, Lyon in France) denounced, in a statement published in Corporate Europe Observatory on Wednesday 14 November, the content of the 'notification' directive and, in particular, the exorbitant power that the European Commission would benefit from. According to the signatories, the Commission could block municipal rules that would run counter to the ‘Services’ Directive by means of binding decisions. For them, this directive is the result of pressure from business lobbies, which have "heavily" promoted this "undemocratic proposal". According to the organisations, this directive could potentially prevent the emergence of "progressive policies" and would go against the principle of local government autonomy. The Council is also currently blocking Article 7 of the Directive (see EUROPE 12137). (PH)