Gas sector spends €100 million annually on lobbying EU
The gas industry and its backers spent over €100 million in lobbying activities in Brussels in 2016, according to a new report by Corporate Europe Observatory, published on Tuesday (31 October).
The sector employs at least 1,000 lobbyists, and secured hundreds of meetings with the two EU commissioners with climate and energy in their portfolios.
According to the report, gas lobbyists met with European Commission vice-president for energy union Maros Sefcovic and climate commissioner Miguel Arias Canete more than 460 times between November 2014 and August 2017 – on average three meetings a week.
"The EU has proven highly responsive to pressure from industry and member states, providing policies that give gas significant legislative, political, and financial support," said the report.
Corporate Europe Observatory is a Brussels-based civil society lobby group, with a focus on transparency and lobbying.
It said in its report that its estimates were probably on the low-end, because many companies and organisations lobbying on gas are not on the radar.
