We won: Amazon lobbyists banned from European Parliament!
Dear friends,
These days good news seems hard to find, so when they come our way, they are well worth celebrating. We joined an international coalition of civil society organisations, along with Amazon workers, to demand a ban of the Big Tech giant’s lobbyists from European institutions. We are delighted to say that, for only the second time in history (after Monsanto in 2017), Amazon’s lobbying badges were withdrawn and, as a result, the company’s lobbyists will effectively be barred from the European Parliament! The final straw for the Parliament came after Amazon rejected attending a hearing over its workplace practices.
Moreover, after Corporate Europe Observatory, and our allies Lobbycontrol and SOMO filed a complaint with the Secretariat of the EU Transparency Register at the end of last year, on the basis of our suspicion that Amazon was under-declaring its lobby budget, the company has updated its reported spending dramatically, now listed as at least 4.5 million euros (up from 2.75 million), making it the 6th largest spender for a single company.
After the European Parliament’s decision to ban Amazon’s lobbyists, we have also joined a group of European trade unions and civil society organisations to call for a comprehensive, transparent, and effective ban on all Amazon lobbying in the European Parliament. The EU’s Transparency Register shows that, in 2023 alone, Amazon spent between €2,090,000 - €3.099.982 on 20 consultancies that lobby on behalf of the company.
This would mean extending the ban to organisations that seek to influence decision-making processes on behalf of Amazon, to exclude Amazon representatives from the European Parliament building as guests, and the refusal by MEPs to attend lobby meetings with Amazon away from the Parliament.
The company’s track record, marred by allegations of exploitative labour practices, antitrust violations, tax dodging and environmental negligence, has drawn sharp criticism from advocacy groups worldwide. The mounting pressure on Amazon is part of a broader campaign led by the Make Amazon Pay campaign, which mobilised strikes and protests across more than 30 countries on Black Friday 2023.
Save the date: We are very pleased to announce ‘A Europe of Capital’ - a new book by Kenneth Haar, campaigner and researcher at Corporate Europe Observatory, and published by Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung. The launch is 18 April at 6pm, at the Rosa-Luxemburg Brussels offices in Rue Saint-Ghislain 61. More info here, registration here.
Meet us: We will join the European Common Space for Alternatives, which will happen from 26-28 April in Marseille. Meet us there!
Join us: Also, we will be doing two lobby tours about our European Elections work! The dates are May 7th at 5pm and May 27th at 6pm in Brussels. Spread the word and join us! They are free, but to join please register via email beforehand: info@corporateeurope.org
In solidarity,
Marcella, Belén, Kees, Nina, Bram, Karin, Vicky, Joana, Kat, Olivier, Pascoe, Kenneth, and João