The EU pressure groups held 5813 meetings between the beginning of the new mandate of the European Commission (EC) in December 2024 and April 7, 2025, according to the EU International Transparency.
At least a third of all revealed meetings addressed issues related to EU climate schedule.
Simplification and competitiveness are at the top of the list of the most popular topics of climate -related meetings, with 421 meetings to mention one or the other, or both.
On the other hand, the ecological pact disappeared from the EU lobby landscape, with 21 meetings to specifically mention the historical climate package of the block.
The domain of digital policy remains an important objective of pressure groups, with 492 meetings that mention related questions, including the application of Digital Services Law and of Artificial Intelligence Law.
Agriculture, cars, chemicals, large technologies and finance dominate meetings with the commission.
About 37% of CE meetings were held with companies and groups, while almost 30% were with commercial and commercial associations. However, only 16.21% of all meetings were with NGOs.
European farmers celebrated 34 meetings. The pressure groups of the European Association of Automobile and Business Manufacturers were followed, both with 29 meetings each.
The only three NGOs at the top of the meetings with the European Commission are the European Secretariat of Consumer Unions, with 28 meetings, the European Environmental Office (25) and the European Transport and Environment Federation (20).
Unbalanced access raises doubts
International transparency experts in the EU affirm that the lack of balanced access to interested parties can lead to policy capture, in which the Commission only meets the interests of a selected group of organizations.
“The laws made by the EU affect hundreds of millions of people. It is crucial that their voices are sufficiently heard in the decision -making process,” said Raphaël Kergueno, a senior senior of transparency of the international EU, and Icharia Schmoland, political assistant of the EU international transparency.
“However, we are in a political scenario that seeks more and more to restrict civic space, both in Brussels and at the national level.”
Earlier this year, legislators on the right protested against the use of public funds to help non -governmental organizations to make a lobby with European deputies and EU executive itself. Green’s Euros have criticized the fact that the PPE is adopting a cause associated with extreme right -wing parties.
On May 8, the leaders of the political groups of the European Parliament should vote on a research committee of the NGOs proposed by the European group of conservatives and reformists, but the vote was postponed to June.
However, 600 civil society organizations signed a joint declaration in which they claim that their sector “faces an unprecedented attack.” “The attack, led by some Eurodiputados of the European Popular Party (PPE) and extreme right groups, is driven by erroneous information,” says the declaration of civil society.
Video editor Mert can Yilmaz
