May 2026 Data (June Edition)

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

Technical Testing and Analysis Sector Intensifies Lobbying Ahead of Standardisation Reform

A marked uptick in lobbying by technical testing and analysis entities this May, exemplified by recent activity from the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization and Ericsson in meetings with the Directorate-General for Industry and SMEs, coincides with preparations for the major revision of EU standardisation rules. With the Commission, particularly the Directorate-General for Industry and SMEs, moving towards changes affecting the pace of developing standards and stakeholder engagement, these organisations are focusing efforts on issues of free access, inclusiveness, and the direction of harmonised standards. This activity reflects the sector’s anticipation of, and position-taking ahead of, regulatory shifts impacting their core operations.

📎 Carriages preview | Legislative Train Schedule

Manufacturers Respond to Consultation on European Product Act Package

Lobbying this month also runs in parallel with policy developments around the European Product Act and associated changes to the New Legislative Framework, with organisations such as Orgalim - Europe's Technology Industries and VDMA e.V. engaging the Direct. Gen. Industry and SMEs. Industry associations and standards bodies, including the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization and Avery Dennison Materials Europe BV, have been vocal through public consultations, seeking to shape upcoming regulations that are expected to affect digital product passports, market surveillance, and support measures for SMEs. This convergence of lobbying and policy events underscores the sector’s engagement with initiatives designed to modernise quality infrastructure and digital compliance.

📎 European Product Act: Consultations on the revision of the New ...

Access and Inclusivity Drive Stakeholder Demands in Standardisation

May’s lobbying surge on the themes of access to standards and balanced participation follows sustained advocacy from EU consumer organisations and technical associations, as seen in the recent efforts of the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization and Ericsson in dialogue with the Directorate-General for Industry and SMEs, seeking a more open standardisation process. Public demands for transparent, multilingual, and machine-readable standards, as well as structures to help underrepresented groups, are increasingly reflected in sector lobbying priorities. This alignment of interests appears to be shaping the Commission’s agenda on reforming Regulation 1025/2012.

📎 ANEC’s position on the Revision of Regulation (EU) 1025/2012

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 Basic chemicals and plastics.

Industries running notably above their historical average this month include Technical Testing and Analysis.

On the quieter side, Basic chemicals and plastics, Air and Spacecraft Manufacturing, Basic iron, steel and ferro-alloys, Pharmaceutical preparations, and R&D: Natural Sciences & Eng. 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.

Pulp, Paper, Paperboard, Electronic Components and Boards, Pharmaceutical preparations, Basic iron, steel and ferro-alloys, and Precious and non-ferrous metals 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, 153 organizations from this sector took part in 158 lobbying meetings with the European Commission.

The organizations with the most notable increases in lobbying activity this month include Semiconductor Industry Association in the U.S., Fertilizers Europe, Danfoss A/S, and Inter Ikea Systems BV.

On the quieter side, CEFIC - European Chemical Industry Council, The European Steel Association, Airbus, ArcelorMittal, and EUROCHAMBRES - Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry saw notably less lobbying activity than usual.

New to the sector's lobbying records this month: ADBSafegate bvba, Astrolight, FOGTEC Brandschutz GmbH, GEA Liquid Technologies Germany, and Smiths Detection.

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, 153 organisations from this sector met with 38 Commission bodies across 158 meetings — split across 19 Commissioner cabinets and 19 Directorates-General.

Notable increases in lobbying activity this month include VDMA e.V. with Direct. Gen. Industry and SMEs, Danfoss A/S with Direct. Gen. Energy and Housing, A. Menarini Industrie Farmaceutiche Riunite s.r.l. with Comm Varhelyi (Health and Animal Welfare), Hitachi Rail STS with Direct. Gen. International Partnerships, and Flexible Packaging Europe with Comm Roswall (Environment).

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, 148 organisations from this sector lobbied on 15 policy topics across 158 meetings. Meetings may touch multiple topics, so subject totals can exceed total meetings.

Topics with notably elevated lobbying activity this month include Fertilizers Europe on Agri-Food, Semiconductor Industry Association in the U.S. on ICT & Cybersecurity, Danfoss A/S on ICT & Cybersecurity, Outokumpu Oyj on Mining, and A. Menarini Industrie Farmaceutiche Riunite s.r.l. on Healthcare.

On the quieter side, CEFIC - European Chemical Industry Council on Manufacturing 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, 126 European Commission officials took part in 158 meetings with this sector's lobbyists.

The most-frequent meetings this month were Bayer AG and Oliver Varhelyi at Comm Varhelyi (Health and Animal Welfare), A. Menarini Industrie Farmaceutiche Riunite s.r.l. and Oliver Varhelyi + 1 other at Comm Varhelyi (Health and Animal Welfare), Siemens AG and Sergio Oliete Josa at Direct. Gen. International Partnerships, Hitachi Rail STS and Sergio Oliete Josa at Direct. Gen. International Partnerships, and Alstom and Sergio Oliete Josa at Direct. Gen. International Partnerships.

Most activity came from Cabinet members (132 meetings), followed by Head of Unit (72) and Director (31).