Skip to content

Independent citizens’ platform · not an official website of the European Union or of any government body

OD OpenDemocratie
European Union Search Notifications

Lobbying at the EU

Who lobbies the European Union?

12,641 organisations with their headquarters in the European Union are in the European transparency register. They try to influence European laws and decisions. Since December 2024 they have had 24,271 meetings with the European Commission between them.

What is lobbying? (click to read)
  • Lobbying means trying to influence the decisions of politicians and civil servants: through conversations, studies, letters or events. This is allowed and is done by companies, but also by trade unions, environmental organisations and cities.
  • Anyone who wants to meet the European Commission or the European Parliament must be in the transparency register and state how much money and how many people are spent on it.
  • The amounts are reported by the organisations themselves, in ranges (e.g. "between 1 and 1.25 million euros"). Nobody checks them all.
  • A European federation with its headquarters in Brussels often represents companies from all over Europe. That is why there are so many organisations in Belgium.
  • We do not show self-employed individuals (people).

Organisations

12,641

Reported lobbying costs per year

€ 1.1 billion – € 1.6 billion

Of 8,126 companies, federations and trade unions that report this.

Access badges for the European Parliament

6,578

Lobbyists who can walk in freely.

Who are they?

  • NGOs and citizens’ organisations 3,545
  • Companies 3,458
  • Trade and professional federations 2,438
  • Trade unions and professional associations 742
  • Other organisations and public institutions 614
  • Consultancies 581
  • Think tanks and research institutions 558
  • Universities and colleges 374
  • Associations of public authorities (e.g. cities and regions) 178
  • Law firms 94
  • Churches and religious or philosophical communities 56
  • Institutions from countries outside the EU 3

Biggest lobbying budgets

What they report themselves for lobbying work at the EU, per year.

  1. CEFIC - European Chemical Industry Council Trade and professional federations · Belgium more than € 10 million
  2. Meta Platforms Ireland Limited and its various subsidiaries Companies · Ireland more than € 10 million
  3. Alliance for AI, IoT and Edge Continuum Innovation IVZW Trade and professional federations · Belgium more than € 10 million
  4. Amazon Europe Core SARL Companies · Luxembourg € 9 million – € 10 million
  5. Human Bridge Stiftelse NGOs and citizens’ organisations · Sweden € 9 million – € 10 million
  6. BUSINESSEUROPE Trade and professional federations · Belgium € 6 million – € 6.5 million
  7. European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations Trade and professional federations · Luxembourg € 6 million – € 6.5 million
  8. Insurance Europe Trade and professional federations · Belgium € 6 million – € 6.5 million
  9. Bayer AG Companies · Germany € 6 million – € 6.5 million
  10. Association des Constructeurs Européens d'Automobiles Trade and professional federations · Belgium € 5.5 million – € 6 million

Most meetings with the European Commission

With commissioners, their private offices or directors-general, since December 2024.

  1. BUSINESSEUROPE Trade and professional federations · Belgium 181 meetings
  2. CEFIC - European Chemical Industry Council Trade and professional federations · Belgium 160 meetings
  3. European farmers Trade and professional federations · Belgium 141 meetings
  4. Association des Constructeurs Européens d'Automobiles Trade and professional federations · Belgium 138 meetings
  5. Transport and Environment (European Federation for Transport and Environment) NGOs and citizens’ organisations · Belgium 130 meetings
  6. European Environmental Bureau NGOs and citizens’ organisations · Belgium 125 meetings
  7. European agri-cooperatives Trade and professional federations · Belgium 121 meetings
  8. Airbus Companies · Netherlands 116 meetings
  9. Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs NGOs and citizens’ organisations · Belgium 114 meetings
  10. Google Ireland Limited and its affiliates Companies · Ireland 113 meetings

By country of headquarters

Source: EU transparency register and meetings of the European Commission with interest representatives (European Commission, reuse allowed with credit to the source). Amounts as reported by the organisations themselves.