May 2026 Data (June Edition)

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

Semiconductor Lobbying Peaks as EU Launches Chips Act 2.0

A surge in lobbying by the semiconductor industry in May 2026 coincides with the unveiling of the European Commission's 'Chips Act 2.0' proposal. The act aims to revamp Europe's semiconductor value chain and reduce strategic dependencies, providing fresh incentives for industry engagement as negotiations move to Parliament and Council.

📎 Proposal for the Chips Act 2.0 | Shaping Europe’s digital future

Cloud and AI Development Bill Drives ICT Sector Mobilisation

Elevated activity among ICT and cloud providers in May 2026 aligns with the Commission's introduction of the Cloud and AI Development Act (CADA), as seen through meetings with Atlassian, Akamai Technologies, Inc., Oracle, and Meta Platforms Ireland Limited and its various subsidiaries, often engaging with the Direct. Gen. Tech Sovereignty and EVP Virkkunen (Digital Services). The act’s focus on boosting EU data center capacity and establishing sovereignty standards appears to motivate coordinated lobbying, notably on compliance and digital infrastructure issues.

📎 Proposal for the Cloud and AI Development Act (CADA) | Shaping Europe’s digital future

Rising Stakeholder Activity Surrounds Digital Fairness Rules

A marked increase in meetings involving digital platforms and advocacy groups such as Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, Google Ireland Limited and its affiliates, Apple Inc., and the European Tech Alliance with EVP Virkkunen (Digital Services) and Direct. Gen. Justice in May 2026 coincides with the ongoing consultation and preparations for the Digital Fairness Act. The draft bill, which targets dark patterns and online consumer protection, is prompting intensified input from a broad range of organizations on measures that may reshape EU digital rights and enforcement.

📎 Digital Fairness Act

Tech Sovereignty Drives Engagement from Multinational ICT Firms

Heightened advocacy efforts by major international technology companies, including Meta Platforms Ireland Limited and its various subsidiaries, Apple Inc., and Oracle, in May 2026 come amid regulatory moves by the Direct. Gen. Tech Sovereignty to bolster European tech sovereignty, notably with the launch of initiatives like the Chips Act 2.0 and the Cloud and AI Development Act. These proposals introduce new compliance and certification requirements, exerting particular pressure on global operators to engage with EU policymakers.

📎 Proposal for the Chips Act 2.0 | Shaping Europe’s digital future · Proposal for the Cloud and AI Development Act (CADA) | Shaping Europe’s digital future

Consumer Protection and AI Compliance Emerge as Key Lobbying Themes

Organizations such as Meta Platforms Ireland Limited and its various subsidiaries, Google Ireland Limited and its affiliates, Apple Inc., and the European Tech Alliance lobbying the Commission—including meetings with EVP Virkkunen (Digital Services) and Direct. Gen. Justice—in May 2026 increasingly focus on digital fairness and AI compliance, reflecting mounting concern over new EU rules slated for introduction. Meetings frequently reference anticipated obligations arising from the Digital Fairness Act and impending AI-specific frameworks, as groups seek to shape forthcoming enforcement guidelines.

📎 Digital Fairness Act · Proposal for the Cloud and AI Development Act (CADA) | Shaping Europe’s digital future

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, May 2026

In May 2026, 10 industries from this sector were active in lobbying meetings with the European Commission, led by Computer Programming.

On the quieter side, Telecommunications, Software Publishing, Data Processing and Hosting, Web Search Activities & Other IT, and Computer Programming 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, May 2026

This chart shows the 10 industries in this sector with the largest deviations from expected lobbying activity in May 2026. Positive values run above their seasonal trend, negative values below.

Web Search Activities & Other IT, Software Publishing, Electronic Components and Boards, Computer Programming, and Telecommunications 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, May 2026

In May 2026, 56 organizations from this sector took part in 75 lobbying meetings with the European Commission.

The organizations with the most notable increases in lobbying activity this month include European Tech Alliance, Semiconductor Industry Association in the U.S., and SOPRA STERIA GROUP.

On the quieter side, Google Ireland Limited and its affiliates, Microsoft Corporation, Orange, Bureau Europeen des Unions de Consommateurs, and Telefonica, S.A. saw notably less lobbying activity than usual.

New to the sector's lobbying records this month: PRODUCTION TRADE AND SUPPORT OF COMPUTERISED SOFTWARE PROGRAMMES AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RELATIONAL TECHNOLOGY SOCIETE ANONYME, German Datacenter Association, Digital Asset Holdings, LLC, RDI Hub, and ARLEQUIN AI.

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, May 2026 vs 12-Month Avg

In May 2026, 56 organisations from this sector met with 26 Commission bodies across 75 meetings — split across 14 Commissioner cabinets and 12 Directorates-General.

Notable increases in lobbying activity this month include Meta Platforms Ireland Limited and its various subsidiaries with Direct. Gen. Tech Sovereignty.

On the quieter side, Google Ireland Limited and its affiliates with Direct. Gen. Tech Sovereignty and Microsoft Corporation with Direct. Gen. Tech Sovereignty 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, May 2026 vs 12-Month Avg

In May 2026, 55 organisations from this sector lobbied on 13 policy topics across 75 meetings. Meetings may touch multiple topics, so subject totals can exceed total meetings.

Topics with notably elevated lobbying activity this month include Semiconductor Industry Association in the U.S. on ICT & Cybersecurity, European Tech Alliance on ICT & Cybersecurity, SOPRA STERIA GROUP on Defence, Apple Inc. on Finance & Insurance, and Bureau Europeen des Unions de Consommateurs on Social Issues.

On the quieter side, Google Ireland Limited and its affiliates on ICT & Cybersecurity, Telefonica, S.A. on ICT & Cybersecurity, Microsoft Corporation on ICT & Cybersecurity, and Vodafone Belgium SA on ICT & Cybersecurity 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, May 2026

In May 2026, 62 European Commission officials took part in 75 meetings with this sector's lobbyists.

The most-frequent meetings this month were Nord Security and Henna Virkkunen + 1 other at EVP Virkkunen (Digital Services), HOMO DIGITALIS ASTIKE ME KERDOSKOPIKE ETAIREIA and Michael McGrath at Comm McGrath (Justice), Brainlab SE and Oliver Varhelyi + 1 other at Comm Varhelyi (Health and Animal Welfare), Bureau Europeen des Unions de Consommateurs and Kurt Vandenberghe at Direct. Gen. Climate, and Semiconductor Industry Association in the U.S. and Denis Redonnet at Direct. Gen. Trade.

Most activity came from Cabinet members (49 meetings), followed by Director (16) and Head of Unit (15).