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Lobbying at the EU

Who lobbies the European Union?

1,016 organisations with their headquarters in Netherlands are in the European transparency register. They try to influence European laws and decisions. Since December 2024 they have had 1,643 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

1,016

Reported lobbying costs per year

€ 81.2 million – € 114.7 million

Of 612 companies, federations and trade unions that report this.

Access badges for the European Parliament

372

Lobbyists who can walk in freely.

Who are they?

  • NGOs and citizens’ organisations 338
  • Companies 336
  • Trade and professional federations 136
  • Trade unions and professional associations 46
  • Other organisations and public institutions 40
  • Think tanks and research institutions 38
  • Universities and colleges 38
  • Consultancies 23
  • Associations of public authorities (e.g. cities and regions) 15
  • Law firms 4
  • Churches and religious or philosophical communities 2

Biggest lobbying budgets

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

  1. Airbus Companies € 2 million – € 2.3 million
  2. Nederlandse Vereniging van Banken / Dutch Banking Association Trade and professional federations € 1.5 million – € 1.8 million
  3. Vereniging van de Nederlandse Pluimveeverwerkende Industrie Trade and professional federations € 1.5 million – € 1.8 million
  4. Uber Companies € 1.3 million – € 1.5 million
  5. Booking.com B.V. Companies € 1.3 million – € 1.5 million
  6. Ingka Services A.B. Companies € 1.3 million – € 1.5 million
  7. Stichting European Federation of Energy Traders (We operate under the name Energy Traders Europe) Trade and professional federations € 1.3 million – € 1.5 million
  8. Koninklijke Philips Companies € 1.3 million – € 1.5 million
  9. Vereniging VNO-NCW Trade and professional federations € 1 million – € 1.3 million
  10. LyondellBasell Industries N.V. Companies € 1 million – € 1.3 million

Most meetings with the European Commission

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

  1. Airbus Companies 116 meetings
  2. Stichting BirdLife Europe NGOs and citizens’ organisations 62 meetings
  3. Stellantis Companies 50 meetings
  4. ASML Netherlands B.V. Companies 43 meetings
  5. Euronext Companies 36 meetings
  6. Uber Companies 28 meetings
  7. Booking.com B.V. Companies 27 meetings
  8. NXP Semiconductors Companies 26 meetings
  9. Ingka Services A.B. Companies 23 meetings
  10. KIC InnoEnergy SE Companies 23 meetings

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.