Lobbying the EU

How vulnerable are the EU institutions to undue corporate influence, and what gaps exist in EU lobbying and ethics rules?

FleishmanHillard’s secret lobby campaign for Monsanto

19.09.2019

Recent evidence supports widely held suspicions that much larger sums of money are spent by corporations on lobbying than what they declare in their entries to the EU Joint Transparency Register. A report by law firm Sidley Austin, published by Bayer, revealed details of a lobbying contract between lobby firm FleishmanHillard and Monsanto, now owned by Bayer, worth €14.5 million. This is multiple times the lobby spending declared by both companies in the register.

Single market

Über influential?

05.09.2019

Platforms like Uber and Airbnb are waging a multifaceted lobbying campaign in Brussels to undermine social and workers' rights - and the Commission in particular, is working to help the platforms evade rules meant, for example, to ensure decent working conditions and access to housing. This report shows how the platforms operate.

EU institutions

Who should the EU hire?

19.07.2019

In preparation for the complicated process of hiring 27 new EU Commissioners, Corporate Europe Observatory presents an outline of the ideal profile of Commissioner candidates.

Fossil free politics

EU Parliamentarians buckle under ExxonMobil lobby pressure

16.04.2019

Despite strong calls from MEPs and the public, ExxonMobil and its lobby groups mobilise enough behind-the-scenes pressure to stop the European Parliament taking away its lobby badges

EU institutions

Lobbying at Permanent Representations of Member States

06.02.2019

Check out who lobbies the Permanent Representations of Romania, the Netherlands, and Ireland by viewing the datasets provided to CEO.

EU institutions

Captured states

06.02.2019

Member states play a hugely important role in EU decision-making, but too often they act as middlemen for corporate interests. This report combines case studies, original research, and analysis to illustrate the depth of the problem – and what you can do about it.

Covert lobbying

Promoting the indefensible: Saudi Arabia’s Brussels lobby shop

28.01.2019

There can be few more controversial clients for a lobbying consultancy than the regime of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. No surprises, then, that a Brussels-based lobbying firm has been less than forthcoming about its role. Corporate Europe Observatory lifts the lid on the company lobbying on behalf of this repressive regime.

EU institutions

Corporate capture in Europe

24.09.2018

Excessive corporate influence over policy-making remains a serious threat to the public interest across Europe and at the EU level, warns a new report by our partner organisation ALTER-EU.

Conflicts of interest

The Czech Trump: how prime minister Babiš undermines democracy

23.08.2018

The political climate in the Czech Republic has grown increasingly repressive following the election of oligarch Andrej Babiš as prime minister in October 2017. With the Czech civil society space squeezed tighter and tighter by Babiš's government, we want to help draw attention to the duress and threats under which many progressive organisations and media outlets now have to work.

Lobby groups & tactics

Take a virtual tour of the EU lobby world

16.04.2018

Who influences decision-making in the European Union? And how? Welcome to the complex and often shady realm of corporate lobbying, which you can now tour from the comfort of your sofa. Or while queuing for frites. Or even on the go in Brussels, following the virtual route on foot!

Lobby transparency

Real sanctions vital to stop lobby register abuses

22.03.2018

Find out how the EU lobby register Secretariat has been dealing with CEO complaints about dodgy data, including by Monsanto.

EU institutions

Selmayrgate: Or why the Secretary-General job matters

20.03.2018

The appointment of Martin Selmayr as new Secretary-General of the European Commission took almost everybody by surprise. This new role makes Selmayr the head of some 33,000 commission staff and, thusly, a crucial actor in processes that can support or hinder public interest policy-making.

Lobbying the EU

FleishmanHillard’s secret lobby campaign for Monsanto

Über influential?

Who should the EU hire?

EU Parliamentarians buckle under ExxonMobil lobby pressure

Lobbying at Permanent Representations of Member States

Captured states

Promoting the indefensible: Saudi Arabia’s Brussels lobby shop

Corporate capture in Europe

The Czech Trump: how prime minister Babiš undermines democracy

Take a virtual tour of the EU lobby world

Real sanctions vital to stop lobby register abuses

Selmayrgate: Or why the Secretary-General job matters

Help us stay independent