EU lobbies groups held 5,813 meetings between the start of the new European Commission (EC) mandate in December 2024 and April 7, 2025, according to Transparency International EU.
At least a third of all disclosed meetings tackled the subjects linked to the EU climate program.
Simplification and competitiveness are at the top of the list of the most popular subjects for climate -related meetings, with 421 meetings mentioning one or the other, or both.
On the other hand, the green agreement as a subject has disappeared from the EU lobbying landscape, 21 meetings specifically mentioning the historic climate package of the block.
The field of digital policy remains a major lobbying objective, 492 meetings mentioning related problems, including the application of the DSA and the AI Act.
Agriculture, cars, chemicals, large technologies and finances dominate meetings with the Commission.
Almost 37% of CE meetings were with companies and groups, while almost 30% were with commercial and commercial associations.
Meanwhile, only 16.21% of all meetings were with NGOs.
European farmers had 34 meetings. This is followed by the European Lobbies Automobile Manufacturers Association and Busineseuroperope groups, both with 29 meetings each.
The only three NGOs during the main meetings of the European Commission are the organization of European consumption, with 28 meetings, the European environmental office (25) and the European Federation for Transport and the Environment (20).
Unbalanced access raises the eyebrows
Transparency International EU experts says that a lack of balanced access for stakeholders could lead to the capture of policies, where the Commission is only addressed to the interests of a limited group of organizations.
“The laws written 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, responsible for Policy for Transparency International EU, and Ilaria Schmoland, political assistant at Transparency International EU.
“However, we are in a political landscape which is increasingly seeking to restrict the civic space – both Brussels and at the national level. “”
At the start of the year, right-wing legislators protested the use of public funds to help non-governmental organizations put pressure on deputies and the EU executive itself.
This has aroused criticism of the Green deputies, claiming that the central-law-law EPP group adopts a cause associated with the stories of the far-right parties.
ADVERTISEMENTThe leaders of political groups of the European Parliament were to vote on an inquiry committee on the NGOs proposed by the ECR on May 8, but the vote was delayed in June.
Meanwhile, 600 civil society organizations have signed a joint declaration To say that their sector “faces an unprecedented attack”.
“The attack, led by certain deputies of the European People's Party (EPP) and far -right groups, is fueled by disinformation,” said the declaration of civil society.
Editor Mert can yilmaz
