By Adrien de Calan
and Raziye Akkoc /
AFP, BRUSSELS
The corporate titans of the tech, energy and chemicals industries are spending more than ever to influence EU decisionmakers, determined to see more business-friendly policies — and it is paying off, campaigners said on Thursday. Lobbying is big business in Brussels, with more than 17,000 organizations working to sway policy in the city that hosts the EU’s executive and parliament — from professional lobbyists and corporate staff to consultants and non governmental organizations. Two campaign groups, Corporate Europe Observatory and LobbyControl, said that businesses are set to spend this year a minimum of 381.7 million euros (US$441.5 million) into lobbying EU institutions, up 7.8 percent compared with last year.
The European Commission headquarters in Brussels is pictured from the air on April 29.
