Il lobbying is a silent force shaping modern democracies, and the European Union is no exception. According to an analysis by Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) e Lobby Control, published on February 23, 2025 on https://corporateeurope.org/en/2025/02/eus-lobby-league-table, 162 between large companies and trade associations have spent at least 343 million euros between February 2023 and February 2024 to influence European institutions.
But how does this money, poured into politicians and the media, alter our lives? And how much does the growing weight of the arms and defense industry contribute to the warmongering drift we are witnessing?
All the numbers of power
The data is impressive. Lobbying expenditure in the EU grew by 16% compared to 2020, with the European Chemical Industries Council (CEFIC) in the lead, which has invested 10 million euro in 2024. The tech giants follow: Meta (9 million), Microsoft (7 million), Apple (6,5 million) e Google (6 million), for a sector total of 67 million.
Il banking sector he spent 53,75 millionwhile that energy and chemical-pharmaceutical they attest respectively at 45 and 66,75 million. But another actor is emerging with force: the arms and defense industry.
Secondo an investigation by POLITICO of March 5, 2025, the ten largest European arms producers (Including Airbus, Leonardo, Thales e Rheinmetall) have increased their lobbying budgets of 40% from the beginning of crisis in Ukraine, passing from a range of 3,95-5,1 million euros to 5,5-6,7 million. Saab it even doubled his spending, while Thales has tripled its lobbying team in Brussels, from 3,5 to 10 people.
This boom coincides with initiatives such as the European Defence Fund (EDF), which promises billions for military development. Already in 2022, lobbying by the European war industry had reached 5,1 million euros, according to ENAT, but the real numbers could be much higher, given the lack of transparency in the EU Register.
Lobbying, the mechanics of influence
Lobbying is not limited to meetings between lobbyists and politicians. It is a system that intertwines funding, “revolving doors” and media control. The 343 million euros (declared on paper) do not end up only in Brussels: one part shapes public opinion through advertising campaigns and think tanks. Big Tech, for example, promotes the digital deregulation, while the chemical industry relaxes PFAS rules, the “forever chemicals”.
But the arms industry has a more direct goal: more public funds for militarization.
Defense companies don't just influence military policy. They also lobby for environmental exemptions, access to raw materials e militarization of borders. The Aerospace, Security and Defense Industries Association (ASD) pushed for the creation of the European Defence Fund, obtaining a leading role in defining military research priorities, often excluding the European Parliament and civil society. This power translates into laws that favor profits, while citizens they pay the price of a degraded environment and an increasingly armed Europe.
The Alteration of Democracy
I don't want to beat around the bush: lobbying erodes democracy. When a few actors can spend millions to guide decisions, the citizens' vote becomes an illusion. EU Transparency Register, voluntary and incomplete, is not enough to stop this drift. The arms industry takes advantage of it: Lockheed Martin, a US giant, only joined the Register in May 2024, after years of indirect influence, and already has lobbyists in the European Parliament.
The result of this project that started a long time ago, well before 2022, it is a Europe that spends more and more on defense (the European Defense Investment Plan provides for 1,5 billion euros and the ReArm EU plan even 800 billion!) while social needs languish.
The Role of the Media
The media plays a crucial role for better or for worse. They are amplifiers, and those fed by lobbies no longer inform, but amplify the message of corporations. The energy industry promotes gas as a “green bridge”, the banking one justifies financial deregulation, and the war one paints any increase in military spending as a vital necessity.
Events like the Defence and Security Summit Brussels, organized with ASD, see EU officials and lobbyists discuss a “war economy”, while the narrative of peace, foundation of the EU, vanishes.
Lobbying, a system to reform before it reforms us
CEO and LobbyControl call for a mandatory Register, effective sanctions and limits on lobbyists' access. But a deeper reflection is also needed. The arms industry, with its growing investments, is pushing the EU towards an unprecedented militarization. This is not only a response to the war in Ukraine, but to a long-term strategy to secure contracts and profits.
A question for you
As noted, lobbying is not just a game of economic power; it distorts democracy and collective priorities. The tech, chemical, and banking industries shape our lives, but the weapons industry may have an even more profound impact.
I ask you: Doesn't the warmongering drift of Europe, with its growing arsenals and fortified borders, also depend on these millions spent to convince politicians and the media that security is measured in cannons and not in well-being? It's time to decide who really leads our future.
