London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Sep 12, 2025

Big tech spends big money lobbying EU. Will this bribery system will work as effective it works in USA?

Big tech spends big money lobbying EU. Will this bribery system will work as effective it works in USA?

Tech industry giants outspent big pharma and fossil fuel companies trying to win influence and shape policy in Brussels, a new study has found.

Google spends more on attempting to influence decision makers and shape regulations in the EU than any other company or organisation, a new study published on Tuesday has found.

The study, which compiled data submitted by companies to the EU Transparency Register up to mid-June this year, found that tech firms collectively dominate lobbying efforts in Europe, with hundreds of companies, business groups and associations all spending €97 million a year on attempting to influence EU institutions.

The tech sector now outspends the pharmaceutical, fossil fuel, finance and chemicals industries, according to the study released by Corporate Europe Observatory and Lobbycontrol.

"The rising lobby firepower of big tech and the digital industry as a whole mirrors the sectors' huge and growing role in society," the study said, as it called for the EU to strengthen lobbying rules and transparency.

Tech, big spender


The study found that 612 tech and digital sector companies, groups and associations spend more than €97 million annually lobbying on EU digital economy policies. Of those, over 20 per cent were US-based, with Chinese companies accounting for less than one per cent.

Google topped spending at €5.75 million, followed by Facebook at €5.5 million euros, Microsoft at €5.25 million, Apple at €3.5 million, Huawei at €3 million and Amazon in sixth place with €2.75 million, the study said.

Overall, 10 tech firms, Vodafone, Qualcomm, Intel, IBM, Amazon, Huawei, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and Google accounted for over a third of the sector's lobbying spend in Europe.

European Commission officials held the majority of meetings about key digital legislation with big tech firms and their representatives, the study said


Google and Huawei told Reuters that they submit their lobbying data to the EU transparency register.

"We have clear policies in place to protect the independence of the people and organisations we sponsor, including a requirement to disclose funding," Google said.

"The European Union has been and remains an important stakeholder for Microsoft. We seek to be a constructive and transparent partner to European policymakers," Microsoft said.

Facebook, Apple and Amazon did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

Tech companies buying access


Tech and digital companies focused their lobbying efforts on the EU's proposed Digital Markets Act (DMA) and Digital Services ACT (DSA), the study found.

The two pieces of EU legislation seek to control Big Tech's "gatekeepers" by applying stricter competition rules, forcing greater transparency in advertising and making them responsible for illegal content hosted on their platforms.

According to the study, some 75 per cent of the 271 meetings EU Commissioners held to discuss the DSA and DMA were with tech companies or their associated trade groups.

"The economic and political power of the digital giants is hefty, and they are not going to remain passive in the face of possible new rules that affect the way they conduct their business," said Tommaso Valletti, economics professor at Imperial College London and former chief economist of the Competition Directorate of the EU Commission.

"That‘s why the EU institutions urgently need to change the way they handle this lobbying and limit the power of big tech".

The study also highlighted the role played by think tanks and even the EU Parliament's political parties in promoting the tech industry's points of view.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
×