March 2026 Data (April Edition)

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

Telecom Sector Intensifies Lobbying on Digital Networks Act

Lobbying activity by telecommunications and digital sectors surged in March 2026, coinciding with EU negotiations on the Digital Networks Act (DNA), with organisations such as Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Vodafone Belgium SA, Liberty Global Corporate B.V., and Telefonica, S.A. meeting with EVP Virkkunen (Digital Services). Stakeholders pressed for more integrated markets, streamlined authorisation, and harmonised rules for future telecoms policy, reflecting industry anxieties over competition, investment, and infrastructure resilience. Continued consultations and Parliamentary briefings throughout the month provided entry points for sustained advocacy.

📎 Strengthening Europe’s Tech Sovereignty | Shaping Europe’s digital future · Connect Europe State of Digital Communications 2026

Binding Timelines for Copper Phase-Out Drive Network Migration Lobbying

The DNA’s introduction of concrete EU-wide deadlines and obligations for copper switch-off fuelled sector lobbying on 'network migration' and 'fibre transition' in March 2026, as organisations including Connect Europe, SAP, and DIGITALEUROPE engaged with EVP Virkkunen and Direct. Gen. Trade. Telecommunications, software publishing, and publisher groups advocated for regulatory clarity and supportive investment conditions as Member States face uneven progress toward fibre rollout. This focus paralleled industry calls for measures to ensure digital competitiveness and sustainability.

📎 Bird & Bird · FTTH Council Europe Tracker · Advanced Television

Merger Policy Overhaul Prompts Telecom Consolidation Push

Publication of draft EU Merger Guidelines in spring 2026 coincided with an uptick in lobbying from Connect Europe, Nokia, and Telecom Infra Project, Inc.—in meetings with Direct. Gen. Tech Sovereignty—aimed at relaxing telecom consolidation rules. Industry leaders, including Connect Europe, contended that enabling scale and streamlining merger control are key to spurring infrastructure upgrades and competing globally. Engagement in March, involving exchanges with EVP Fitto (Cohesion and Reforms) and Direct. Gen. Tech Sovereignty, focused on embedding sustainability and tech sovereignty into the competition framework.

📎 Competition Policy – EC News · Sullivan & Cromwell · GSMA/Connect Europe

Rising Advocacy Linked to Tech Sovereignty and AI Policy Package

A spike in lobbying from organisations such as Cohere Inc. and subsidiaries/affiliated associations, Telecom Italia Sparkle S.p.A., and Asociacion Espanola de Economia Digital during March 2026 aligns with anticipation of the EU’s Tech Sovereignty Package, announced that June. With new rules on EU-based cloud, AI, and semiconductor capabilities in view, stakeholders including Proton AG and the European Sovereign Tech Industry Alliance pressed, in meetings with EVP Virkkunen (Digital Services), for robust digital sovereignty provisions, investment incentives, and a supportive innovation climate. Cross-industry efforts increasingly converged around securing European autonomy in critical tech.

📎 Strengthening Europe’s tech sovereignty - European Commission · EU Tech Sovereignty Package | Global Policy Watch · Brussels, 3 June 2026 Tech Sovereignty Package can strengthen Europe ...

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, 10 industries from this sector were active in lobbying meetings with the European Commission, led by Telecommunications.

Industries running notably above their historical average this month include Telecommunications, Computer Programming, Web Search Activities & Other IT, Software Publishing, and Book and Newspaper Publishing.

On the quieter side, Data Processing and Hosting, Electronic Components and Boards, and Communication Equipment 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.

Industry Lobbying Residuals, March 2026

This chart shows the 10 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.

Computer Programming and Telecommunications saw lobbying notably above expected levels this month.

Data Processing and Hosting, Communication Equipment, Electronic Components and Boards, Electromedical Equipment, and Book and Newspaper Publishing 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, 109 organizations from this sector took part in 142 lobbying meetings with the European Commission.

The organizations with the most notable increases in lobbying activity this month include Connect Europe, Deutsche Telekom, Fastweb S.p.A., Cohere Inc. and subsidiaries/affiliated associations, and International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers.

On the quieter side, Apple Inc. saw notably less lobbying activity than usual.

New to the sector's lobbying records this month: Synopsys, Sagemcom Topco, International Social Games Association, UpCloud Oy, and W Social AB.

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, 109 organisations from this sector met with 32 Commission bodies across 142 meetings — split across 15 Commissioner cabinets and 17 Directorates-General.

Notable increases in lobbying activity this month include Google Ireland Limited and its affiliates with Direct. Gen. Tech Sovereignty, Nokia with Direct. Gen. Tech Sovereignty, Connect Europe with Direct. Gen. Tech Sovereignty, Microsoft Corporation with Direct. Gen. Tech Sovereignty, and AMADEUS IT GROUP S.A. with Direct. Gen. Secretariat-General.

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, 107 organisations from this sector lobbied on 14 policy topics across 142 meetings. Meetings may touch multiple topics, so subject totals can exceed total meetings.

Topics with notably elevated lobbying activity this month include Deutsche Telekom on ICT & Cybersecurity, Fastweb S.p.A. on ICT & Cybersecurity, Connect Europe on ICT & Cybersecurity, Cohere Inc. and subsidiaries/affiliated associations on ICT & Cybersecurity, and Orange on ICT & Cybersecurity.

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, 101 European Commission officials took part in 142 meetings with this sector's lobbyists.

The most-frequent meetings this month were Vodafone Belgium SA and Henna Virkkunen + 1 other at EVP Virkkunen (Digital Services), Orange and Henna Virkkunen at EVP Virkkunen (Digital Services), Deutsche Telekom and Henna Virkkunen at EVP Virkkunen (Digital Services), Nokia and Renate Nikolay at Direct. Gen. Tech Sovereignty, and Google Ireland Limited and its affiliates and Renate Nikolay at Direct. Gen. Tech Sovereignty.

Most activity came from Cabinet members (102 meetings), followed by Head of Unit (66) and Executive Vice-President (38).