Key facts
- Over 400 meetings between EU lawmakers and tobacco/nicotine lobbyists declared since summer 2024.
- Previous parliamentary term (2019-2024) saw about 100 such meetings.
- 75% of recent meetings were with center-right and far-right MEPs.
- MEPs have called out the tobacco industry's access during health policy negotiations.
- WHO treaty guidelines suggest limiting interactions with tobacco lobbyists to what is strictly necessary.
European lawmakers have engaged in significantly more meetings with tobacco and nicotine lobbyists in the past two years than in the entire previous parliamentary term, according to data analyzed by POLITICO. Since the current European Parliament began in summer 2024, over 400 meetings have been declared, a fourfold increase compared to the approximately 100 meetings recorded between 2019 and 2024. The majority of these recent meetings, around 75%, were with lawmakers from center-right and far-right political groups. This surge in lobbying activity coincides with the European Union's efforts to revise key legislation concerning tobacco and nicotine products, including measures aimed at curbing heart disease and cancer. Some lawmakers have expressed concern over the extent of industry access during these policy negotiations, citing World Health Organization guidelines that recommend limiting interactions with the tobacco sector to what is strictly necessary for regulation.