Apple spent €7m on lobbying in the EU in 2024, the same as Amazon and Microsoft. With these big names already mentioned, you may wonder who the number one is. Well, your guess is as good as mine; it’s Meta. The company spent €10m on EU lobby.
The data came from a study by the group Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO), which tracks how big tech tries to shape EU rules. This shows how keen the top tech names are to sway law plans in Brussels.
Apple’s main focus was on app rules, data use, and fair play laws. These laws were a threat to its app store and ads business.
Big tech takes the lead
The report said tech firms now spend more on EU lobby than automobile or pharmaceutical firms do. The total budget for all tech grew from €113m in 2023 to €151m this year — a 30% jump.
Meta was first, while Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft shared the next spot. These four took up most of the lobby space and set the tone for the rest of the field.
Frequent meetings with EU officials
Money was not the only sign of lobbying. Apple had 76 meetings with EU lawmakers in the past year. From January to June 2025, it met top EU staff 29 times and EU reps 47 times.
Meta had 63 such meets, while Amazon had 49 and Google had 47. The rate works out to more than one meet per day on average.
CEO said the scale of these meetings shows how keen big tech is to shape the EU’s rule book. Many of these meetings aim to ease or slow new data and app store rules.
The group said the true rate may be more, as the EU only logs meetings with top staff. Think hubs and trade teams that get cash from these same firms also play a key part.
Apple now plays a big role in EU rule meetings. With the size of its brand and cash, it’s hard to leave Apple out. Like its peers, it helps steer how the bloc sets its new laws. And as the stakes grow, so does the power of the big tech voice in Brussels.
Source from Gizchina
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