The Themes Hidden in June's Lobbying Data

Section A: The Themes Hidden in June's Lobbying Data

Automotive Suppliers Push to Influence Euro 7 Emissions Requirements

A surge in lobbying by parts and aftermarket firms, including the European Association Automotive Suppliers and Verband der Automobilindustrie, coincides with the EU’s effort to finalize the Euro 7 vehicle emissions regulation. Industry stakeholders such as Schaeffler AG and Gebr. Waasner Elektrotechnische Fabrik GmbH are urging policymakers including EVP Sejourne (Industry and SMEs) and Comm Roswall (Environment) to shape technical requirements on exhaust, non-exhaust emissions, and battery durability, aiming to align compliance timelines with their product and certification strategies.

📎 EUR-Lex summary and timeline · Automotive IQ, July 2026

PFAS Restriction Spurs Intense Automotive Sector Lobbying

The European Association of Automotive Suppliers and Association des Constructeurs Europeens d'Automobiles actively engaged EU officials, including the Direct. Gen. Industry and SMEs, in June amid impending sweeping PFAS restrictions under REACH. Automakers are flagged as heavily exposed, prompting lobbying by these organisations around the scope, supply chain disclosures, and compliance risks as the EU prepares to formalize an industry-wide ban on PFAS.

📎 ECHA summary, May 2026 · Certivo, June 2026

Steel Quota Changes Heighten Industry Lobbying on Electrical Steel

Lobbying peaked around EU steel safeguard regulations as new rules reduced duty-free quotas and heightened duties, directly affecting automotive-sector access to non-grain-oriented electrical steel and related derivatives, with Schaeffler AG and Gebr. Waasner Elektrotechnische Fabrik GmbH engaging EVP Sejourne and Comm Sefcovic to press their concerns. Industry players, including TRATON Group and MAN Truck & Bus SE, are pressing for broader protections to avoid third-country competition and supply risks to key automotive components.

📎 Protecting EU steelmaking - Trade and Economic Security · New EU safeguards on steel imports from third countries · Steelmakers and related sectors called on the EC to extend new ...

Forced Labour Regulation Triggers Compliance Concerns for Carmakers

Following the publication of EU guidelines for the Forced Labour Regulation, Verband der Automobilindustrie intensified its engagement with Direct. Gen. Industry and SMEs and Comm Roswall on supply chain transparency and responsible business conduct, while Association des Constructeurs Europeens d'Automobiles raised concerns on economic security and supply-chain diversification directly with Comm Sefcovic. The timing reflects industry anxiety over strict liability and traceability rules coming into force by late 2027, with sector-specific risks discussed in meetings by European Association Automotive Suppliers and reinforced by the scale of lobbying activity.

📎 Sidley Austin, July 2026 · Covington & Burling, July 2026

Section B: Lobbying Activity by Industry

This section compares, by industry, the lobbying activity with the European Commission last month to its historical average.

Industry Lobbying Activity, June 2026

In June 2026, 2 industries from this sector were active in lobbying meetings with the European Commission, led by Motor Vehicles.

Industries running notably above their historical average this month include Motor Vehicle Parts and Accessories.

On the quieter side, Motor Vehicles saw notably less lobbying activity than their historical average.

Section C: Lobbying by Industry for the Past Year

To contextualize Section B, this chart shows the residual trajectory of the same top industries from Section B over the past 12 months — the deviation from what would be expected after accounting for seasonal patterns and the overall trend. Persistent above-zero values indicate sustained over-activity; persistent below-zero values indicate sustained quiet periods.

Sector Residual (June 2026)

This chart shows the 2 industries in this sector with the largest deviations from expected lobbying activity in June 2026. Positive values run above their seasonal trend, negative values below.

Sector saw lobbying notably below expected levels this month.

Section D: Lobbying Activity by Organization

In this section, we see the organizations with the most unusual lobbying behavior last month, defined by either unusually high or unusually low lobbying activity.

Organization Lobbying Activity, June 2026

In June 2026, 23 organizations from this sector took part in 33 lobbying meetings with the European Commission.

The organizations with the most notable increases in lobbying activity this month include Verband der Automobilindustrie, European Association Automotive Suppliers, and Schaeffler AG.

On the quieter side, Association des Constructeurs Europeens d'Automobiles, Robert Bosch GmbH, Transport and Environment (European Federation for Transport and Environment), Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft, and Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft saw notably less lobbying activity than usual.

New to the sector's lobbying records this month: Gebr. Waasner Elektrotechnische Fabrik GmbH and TRATON Group.

Section E: Lobbying of Government Institutions in the Past Month

Every lobbying meeting takes place with one of two types of European Commission body: a Commissioner's cabinet (political staff) or a Directorate-General (the civil service). This section shows the organisation-to-institution pairings with the most unusual lobbying activity last month, defined by the largest absolute difference between this month's meeting count and the pair's 12-month rolling average.

Lobbying of Commission Institutions, June 2026 vs 12-Month Avg

In June 2026, 23 organisations from this sector met with 19 Commission bodies across 33 meetings — split across 9 Commissioner cabinets and 10 Directorates-General.

Notable increases in lobbying activity this month include European Association Automotive Suppliers with Direct. Gen. Industry and SMEs, Transport and Environment (European Federation for Transport and Environment) with Comm Jorgensen (Energy and Housing), and Verband der Automobilindustrie with Direct. Gen. Environment.

On the quieter side, Association des Constructeurs Europeens d'Automobiles with EVP Sejourne (Industry and SMEs) and Robert Bosch GmbH with EVP Sejourne (Industry and SMEs) saw notably less lobbying activity than their historical average.

Section F: Organization Lobbying by Subject in the Past Month

This section shows the organisation-to-subject pairings with the most unusual lobbying activity last month. Subjects are classified from each meeting's title text into one of 19 EU policy areas. A meeting covering multiple topics counts toward each of them.

Lobbying by Subject, June 2026 vs 12-Month Avg

In June 2026, 22 organisations from this sector lobbied on 9 policy topics across 33 meetings. Meetings may touch multiple topics, so subject totals can exceed total meetings.

Topics with notably elevated lobbying activity this month include Verband der Automobilindustrie on Environment, European Association Automotive Suppliers on Automotive, Schaeffler AG on Manufacturing, Transport and Environment (European Federation for Transport and Environment) on Utilities & Power, and European Association Automotive Suppliers on Environment.

On the quieter side, Association des Constructeurs Europeens d'Automobiles on Automotive, Transport and Environment (European Federation for Transport and Environment) on Environment, Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft on Automotive, Transport and Environment (European Federation for Transport and Environment) on Automotive, and Robert Bosch GmbH on Automotive saw notably less lobbying activity than their historical average.

Section G: Most-Lobbied Officials

This section lists the most-frequent lobbying touchpoints between this sector's organisations and individual European Commission officials last month, compared to each pairing's average over the past year.

Most-Lobbied Officials, June 2026

In June 2026, 34 European Commission officials took part in 33 meetings with this sector's lobbyists.

The most-frequent meetings this month were Transport and Environment (European Federation for Transport and Environment) and Dan Jorgensen at Comm Jorgensen (Energy and Housing), Verband der Automobilindustrie and Aurel Ciobanu-Dordea at Direct. Gen. Environment, European Association Automotive Suppliers and Mark Nicklas at Direct. Gen. Industry and SMEs, European Association Automotive Suppliers and Roxana Minzatu at EVP Minzatu (Education and Culture), and Polestar Performance AB and Jessika Roswall + 1 other at Comm Roswall (Environment).

Most activity came from Cabinet members (19 meetings), followed by Head of Unit (13) and Director (8).