Big Tech has allocated 151 million euros to undermine EU legislation in the digital field

The technology industry is increasing its power of influence to record levels, investing huge amounts in lobbying activities to rewrite the rules of the European digital game, according to a study by Corporate Europe Observatory and LobbyControl. The document, based on data from the European Union's Transparency Register, found that the digital industry's lobbying spending has increased from euro113 million in 2023 to euro151 million today (+33.6% in just two years), and compared to 2021, the jump is 55.6%. This meteoric rise is not just an accounting issue, but a measure of the increasing force with which the tech giants are trying to impose their interests on European policies. The cited source claims that Big Tech is using its huge resources to consolidate control over society, from the information we consume to the digital infrastructure we depend on. On average, companies in this sector have more than one meeting a day with European Commission officials, and these efforts seem to be paying off. Many policymakers have recently called for a "delay” on the adoption of the Artificial Intelligence Act, while others are advocating for a weakening of the data protection guaranteed by the GDPR.

Key laws such as the Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act are constantly being challenged by big business, sometimes even through pressure from across the Atlantic, from the Trump administration. At a time when a decade of progress in the field of digital rights risks being undone, Big Tech is playing perhaps its most important political card yet.

The data presented by the Corporate Europe Observatory clearly shows two trends: the concentration of financial power and the expansion of the lobbying front. The top ten companies alone spend euro49 million - compared to euro40 million two years ago - that is, a third of the industry total. Amazon increased its lobbying budget by euro4.27 million, Microsoft and Meta by euro2 million each, and the DigitalEurope group by euro1.25 million.

At the same time, Brussels has become a battleground for newcomers: while in 2023 there were 565 registered digital actors, now their number has risen to 733. The expansion is partly explained by the entry of artificial intelligence companies onto the European scene (OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral AI, Aleph Alpha) and by the new transparency rules adopted in December 2024, which also require the recording of meetings with mid-level Commission officials. The cited study also shows that Big Tech dominates by far any other corporate sector when it comes to political access and investment in influence. The company Meta leads the list with 10 million euros, the largest lobbying budget of a single company in the European Union. Five of the top six companies that spend the most on lobbying in Europe are from the technology sector. The top ten digital companies invest three times more than their counterparts in the pharmaceutical, financial or automotive industries, and twice as much as the big energy companies.

This avalanche of money translates directly into power to act. The number of full-time lobbyists in the digital sector has increased from 699 to 890, more than the number of members of the European Parliament. Of these, 437 hold badges that give them almost unlimited access to the European institutions. The company DigitalEurope has 27 such accreditations, Google 16, Microsoft 11 and GSMA Europe 10. Although, following corruption scandals directly involving companies in the sector, Parliament has timidly started to impose stricter rules, the influence of Big Tech remains overwhelming.

Between January and June 2025, large companies had 146 official meetings with representatives of the European Commission - an average of 1.17 per working day. Amazon leads the pack with 43 meetings, followed by Microsoft (36), Google (35), Apple (29) and Meta (27). The dominant topic was artificial intelligence, mentioned in 58 meetings, or 40% of the total. Other recurring topics were data centers and cloud services (23 meetings), the Digital Services Act (17), the Digital Fairness Act (16) and the Digital Markets Act (16).

In parallel, Big Tech also had 232 meetings with MEPs, almost two per day. Meta is again in first place, with 63 meetings, followed by Amazon (49), Google (47), Apple (47) and Microsoft (34). The most frequent MEPs who were elected were Jörgen Warborn, Aura Salla and Pablo Arias Echeverría - all members of the European People's Party - and in the case of Aurora Salla, a former Meta lobbyist, criticism of conflict of interest was not long in coming. Paradoxically, some MEPs continue to meet with Amazon representatives, even though the company's credentials were revoked in February 2024 after it refused to attend a hearing on working conditions in its warehouses.

This offensive is not limited to face-to-face meetings. Big Tech finances a vast ecosystem of influence, made up of consultancies, lobby groups, think tanks and shell organisations that amplify the industry's messages. The expenditure on these support networks exceeds euro9 million annually, of which Amazon contributes euro2.84 million, Apple euro2.3 million and Meta euro1.5 million. In parallel, the number of think tanks receiving money from big tech companies has increased significantly. Bruegel, the Centre for European Reform, CEPS and CERRE are now funded by all five Big Tech giants. Other organisations, such as the Centre for Data Innovation, ICLE and Chamber of Progress, are openly acting as industry mouthpieces, attacking antitrust policies and describing European regulations as trade barriers.

As the European Commission prepares to launch the Digital Omnibus package, intended to "simplify” digital legislation and make it more innovation-friendly, the Big Tech lobby is pushing for the complete elimination of regulations considered restrictive. Apple has called for the Digital Markets Act to be repealed, and the CCIA has called for the suspension of the AI Act.

Amid external pressure from Washington - where the Trump administration has threatened trade tariffs against states that fine US tech companies - Europe risks losing its hard-won ground. The statements of Mark Zuckerberg, who called the Digital Services Act "censorship”, or those of Vice President JD Vance, who accused Europe of restricting freedom of expression, are just the tip of the iceberg of a coordinated campaign to undermine Big Tech regulation at the European level.