MEPs and the fossil fuel industry. Activists reveal details of meetings

According to Transparency International, since the start of the current European Parliament term, MEPs have participated in over 30,000 meetings, a 314% increase compared to the first year of the previous term. This significant increase is partly due to a change in parliamentary regulations requiring MEPs and their assistants to announce meetings with both lobbyists and representatives of other countries. Previously, only MEPs holding specific positions, such as committee chairs, were required to do so.

Transparency International: Oil Industry Lobbyists in the European Parliament

According to an analysis by Transparency International, 14 of the 20 organizations with the highest number of meetings represent commercial interests. MEPs from left-wing parties met significantly more frequently with NGOs , while MEPs from the right-wing were more likely to host industry representatives.

The analysis found, among other things, that the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee met most frequently with representatives of oil giants such as ExxonMobil and FuelsEurope. ExxonMobil representatives, in turn, met most frequently with MEPs from the center-right European People's Party (EPP), the largest political grouping in the European Parliament.

FuelsEurope was also among the top 20 organizations hosted by the European Parliament. Tobacco company Philip Morris International, which is subject to the World Health Organization's (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which imposes strict contact restrictions, also ranked among the top organizations.