By year's end, the European Union is expected to adopt REACH, a proposal that would "require manufacturers to test industrial chemicals used in the manufacturing process to gather health and safety data." REACH stands for "Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals." The bill "has prompted a U.S.-led coalition of 13 countries to step up lobbying efforts to make the final measure more amenable to industry," reports the Wall Street Journal.

A report by Consumers International, a global federation of consumer organisations, examined the corporate social responsibility policies of 20 major drug companies to test what information they disclose about sponsoring patient groups, funding disease awareness campaigns and offering hospitality to medical experts.

The European Centre for Public Affairs (ECPA), a non-profit PR training and research group, is calling on PR consultancies to outline how they would improve the image of the PR industry. ECPA deputy chairman Michael Burrell told PR Week that it was "important that the industry promotes and defends itself." However, Burrell recognises the that improving the image of the industry won't be easy.