March 2026 Data (April Edition)

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

Lobbying Surge Follows Approval of Massive Ukraine Defence Loan

Following the EU's approval of a €90 billion support loan for Ukraine in March 2026—with €60 billion prioritized for defence procurement—lobbying activity by major defence and aerospace companies, including Leonardo S.p.A., SAFRAN, THALES, and the Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe, increased notably in Brussels. This heightened advocacy, with meetings involving Comm Kubilius (Defence and Space), coincides with the EU's expedited efforts to supply drones, ammunition, and other key equipment to Ukraine, including adaptations of procurement rules for urgency.

📎 EU advances €90 billion Ukraine loan with focus on drones and defence · Ukraine Support Loan - European Commission · Ukraine parliament ratifies landmark €90B EU aid package

Defence Industry Firms Push for Expanded Ammunition and Drone Production

March 2026 saw intense lobbying by air and spacecraft manufacturers, including Leonardo S.p.A., THALES, and SAFRAN, with meetings often focused on expanding EU ammunition production capacity and facilitating the supply of drones to Ukraine, particularly in discussions with Comm Kubilius (Defence and Space). Defence sector associations and top firms, including Leonardo S.p.A., sought to inform officials about industry capabilities and to advocate for swift collaboration and policy support amid the ongoing Ukraine crisis.

📎 EU advances €90 billion Ukraine loan with focus on drones and defence · Ukraine Support Loan - European Commission

Sector Associations and Multinationals Target Industrial Policy and US-EU Cooperation

Lobbying activity in March 2026 included multinational firms like Boeing Belgium SRL and General Electric Company, as well as defence associations such as the Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe, emphasizing policy topics such as transatlantic trade, technological sovereignty, and industrial collaboration with EU institutions including meetings with Pres von der Leyen and EVP Virkkunen. A notable increase in meetings with Commissioners and Executive Vice-Presidents highlights the sector’s focus on shaping EU defence and aviation strategy in the context of the Ukraine support package.

📎 EU Parliament greenlights landmark €90b Ukraine support loan package

New Entrants and Established Players Shape Commission Dialogue

Emerging advocacy groups such as Come Back Alive and National Interests Advocacy Network ANTS, and recently registered companies joined established defence contractors including THALES, Leonardo S.p.A., SAFRAN, and Embraer Portugal S.A. in lobbying the European Commission, with key interlocutors like Comm Kubilius and EVP Virkkunen, during March 2026. This influx, alongside veteran firms such as THALES and SAFRAN, coincides with the EU’s rapid policy adjustments on defence procurement to address the war in Ukraine and highlights intense competition for roles in EU-funded initiatives.

📎 EU advances €90 billion Ukraine loan with focus on drones and defence

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, March 2026

In March 2026, 2 industries from this sector were active in lobbying meetings with the European Commission, led by Air and Spacecraft Manufacturing.

Industries running notably above their historical average this month include Air and Spacecraft Manufacturing and Investigation and Security.

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.

Industry Lobbying Residuals, March 2026

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

Air and Spacecraft Manufacturing saw lobbying notably above expected levels this month.

Investigation and Security 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, March 2026

In March 2026, 19 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 Boeing Belgium SRL, General Electric Company, RTX Corporation, Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe, and SAFRAN.

On the quieter side, Airbus, International Crisis Group, and Leonardo S.p.A. saw notably less lobbying activity than usual.

New to the sector's lobbying records this month: National Interests Advocacy Network ANTS, Embraer Portugal S.A., Defence Angels European Network, Stichting European Initiative for Energy Security, and ATMOS Space Cargo GmbH.

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, March 2026 vs 12-Month Avg

In March 2026, 19 organisations from this sector met with 21 Commission bodies across 33 meetings — split across 11 Commissioner cabinets and 10 Directorates-General.

Notable increases in lobbying activity this month include THALES with EVP Virkkunen (Digital Services).

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, March 2026 vs 12-Month Avg

In March 2026, 16 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 Boeing Belgium SRL on Foreign Affairs, THALES on ICT & Cybersecurity, SAFRAN on Manufacturing, Leonardo S.p.A. on Defence, and Airbus on Manufacturing.

On the quieter side, International Crisis Group on Foreign Affairs, Airbus on Single Market, Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe on Defence, and THALES on Defence 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, March 2026

In March 2026, 44 European Commission officials took part in 33 meetings with this sector's lobbyists.

The most-frequent meetings this month were THALES and Henna Virkkunen at EVP Virkkunen (Digital Services), Airbus and Stephane Sejourne + 2 others at EVP Sejourne (Industry and SMEs), SAFRAN and Stephane Sejourne + 2 others at EVP Sejourne (Industry and SMEs), Leonardo S.p.A. and Andrius Kubilius + 2 others at Comm Kubilius (Defence and Space), and THALES and Andrius Kubilius + 2 others at Comm Kubilius (Defence and Space).

Most activity came from Cabinet members (31 meetings), followed by Commissioner (7) and Executive Vice-President (6).