The Themes Hidden in July's Lobbying Data

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

Chemical Industry Leaders Intensify Policy Engagement Amid Green Transition

Lobbying by AkzoNobel, AIR LIQUIDE, and ICL Europe Cooperatief U.A. reached record levels in July 2026, coinciding with the European Commission’s ongoing push for greener industry practices under the 2025 Action Plan. Firms like AkzoNobel have ramped up engagement with Direct. Gen. Climate and Comm Hoekstra (Climate) to influence the legislative agenda, mirroring efforts to secure competitiveness and shape innovation priorities as new sustainability requirements loom.

📎 EUR-Lex - 52025DC0530 - EN - EUR-Lex

New Design Guidelines Prompt Sector Advocacy on Sustainability

The March 2026 update to the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework is driving companies in paints and coatings, including AkzoNobel, to advocate for clearer sustainability standards. Cross-sector feedback and testing, with input from groups such as Fertilizers Europe and Dow in discussions with the Directorate-General for Environment, have shaped the new rules, and increased lobbying reflects industry concerns about aligning their processes with EU expectations and communicating their sustainability commitments effectively.

📎 Strengthened Framework for Safe and Sustainable by Design chemicals and ...

Streamlined Chemical Safety Laws Trigger Lobbying Surge in Paints and Fertilizers

With 'One Substance, One Assessment' rules entering force in early 2026, manufacturers of paints, coatings, and agricultural inputs such as AkzoNobel and Fertilizers Europe have stepped up efforts to influence the rollout through meetings with the Direct. Gen. Environment and Direct. Gen. Climate. Industry lobbying appears linked to shaping practical details of risk assessment processes amid expanded regulatory reach across multiple product categories.

📎 Chemicals Strategy - Environment - European Commission

Companies Mobilize as EU Tightens Green Claims Rules for Consumer Goods

Lobbying spiked among consumer-facing chemical firms such as AkzoNobel and Dow in advance of the EmpCo Directive’s September 2026 start, which will restrict generic environmental and offset-based claims. The directive obliges firms to substantiate green credentials and supply harmonized sustainability data, prompting intense sector advocacy—including meetings with Direct. Gen. Environment and Comm Hoekstra (Climate)—around both compliance burdens and the honest presentation of product environmental benefits.

📎 EmpCo Directive (EU) 2024/825 explained in plain English

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, July 2026

In July 2026, 7 industries from this sector were active in lobbying meetings with the European Commission, led by Basic chemicals and plastics.

Industries running notably above their historical average this month include Paints, varnishes and coatings.

On the quieter side, Basic chemicals and plastics, Waste Recovery, Water Supply, Agrochemicals and pesticides, and Soap, detergents and cleaners 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 (July 2026)

This chart shows the 7 industries in this sector with the largest deviations from expected lobbying activity in July 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, July 2026

In July 2026, 32 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 AkzoNobel.

On the quieter side, CEFIC - European Chemical Industry Council, Transport and Environment (European Federation for Transport and Environment), European Environmental Bureau, Orgalim - Europe's Technology Industries, and European farmers saw notably less lobbying activity than usual.

New to the sector's lobbying records this month: Perstorp Holding AB and ekolive s.r.o..

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, July 2026 vs 12-Month Avg

In July 2026, 32 organisations from this sector met with 18 Commission bodies across 33 meetings — split across 9 Commissioner cabinets and 9 Directorates-General.

Notable increases in lobbying activity this month include Veolia Environnement with Comm Roswall (Environment), European agri-cooperatives with Direct. Gen. Agriculture and Food, and European farmers with Direct. Gen. Agriculture and Food.

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, July 2026 vs 12-Month Avg

In July 2026, 31 organisations from this sector lobbied on 12 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 AkzoNobel on Environment.

On the quieter side, CEFIC - European Chemical Industry Council on Manufacturing, CEFIC - European Chemical Industry Council on Environment, European farmers on Agri-Food, European Environmental Bureau on Environment, and Climate Action Network Europe on Environment 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, July 2026

In July 2026, 32 European Commission officials took part in 33 meetings with this sector's lobbyists.

The most-frequent meetings this month were Climate Action Network Europe and Dan Jorgensen at Comm Jorgensen (Energy and Housing), Veolia Environnement and Jessika Roswall + 1 other at Comm Roswall (Environment), YARA BELGIUM S.A. and Gerassimos Thomas at Direct. Gen. Tax and Customs, Eurocities and Themis Christophidou at Direct. Gen. Cohesion and Reforms, and ECOLAB and Claire Bury at Direct. Gen. Health and Animal Welfare.

Most activity came from Cabinet members (22 meetings), followed by Head of Unit (9) and Director (5).