Lobbying-as-a-Service : pas moins de 26 cabinets pour défendre Amazon à Bruxelles

Amazon's Lobbying Strategy in the European Union

Amazon has allocated a budget between 7 and 8 million euros for its lobbying activities in the European Union for the year 2024. This budget is utilized to influence regulatory processes through external consultancy firms rather than relying on an in-house team of lobbyists. The company employs 26 external firms to address various regulatory matters, including cloud sovereignty and digital taxation.

Following complaints from several NGOs, Amazon has revised its reported lobbying expenditures in the EU for 2024, increasing them to 5 million euros from the initially recorded 2.75 million euros in the official transparency register.

In February 2024, fourteen Amazon lobbyists were denied access to the European Parliament upon the request of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee (EMPL), following the company's absence from several hearings and site visits in 2021 and 2023. This exclusion was reaffirmed in 2025, with the committee rejecting Amazon's proposal for a closed-door meeting with senior executives.

Despite lacking accredited lobbyists in the European Parliament, Amazon remains active within the European Commission. Over two years, the company has participated in 175 high-level meetings and is involved in various expert groups on topics such as artificial intelligence, VAT, and cybersecurity.

Amazon's strategy involves contracting firms like FTI Consulting , Fleishman-Hillard , Kreab , Edelman , and Flint Europe to manage specific legislative portfolios. These include environmental regulations such as the Green Claims Directive and digital regulations like the Digital Markets Act and AI Act.

This approach allows Amazon to tailor its arguments for each directorate-general, increasing sectoral contact points and closely monitoring technical debates. The company focuses particularly on topics related to AWS, cross-border distribution via Marketplace, and audiovisual activities, as indicated by several communications with DG CNECT and commissioners' offices.

Amazon's use of a network of public affairs firms, each responsible for specific issues like VAT, sustainability, and cybersecurity, ensures a structured and efficient influence strategy, while maintaining a lower visibility in the political arena.

D’après FrenchWeb.