Transparency International is urging greater transparency from EU lawmakers after Amazon met them 66 times despite an official ban.
Amazon was banned from the European Parliament in February 2024 for avoiding hearings on workers’ rights. Still, the company continued to meet lawmakers throughout the year. These findings come from a recent report analysing meetings from June 2024 to June 2025.
According to the report, Amazon held meetings mostly about digital topics such as the AI Act, Digital Euro, and infrastructure. Ten of these meetings involved Amazon Web Services, the company’s cloud division.
Surprisingly, 19 of the meetings were listed as held at the Parliament. This raises questions, as the badges of 14 Amazon staff in Brussels had been revoked. Some meetings may have involved consultants or were virtual but listed incorrectly.
Amazon’s return to the Parliament depends on a hearing with the Employment and Social Affairs Committee on 26 June. However, both sides disagree on who should speak during the session.
Most meetings were with the centre-right EPP group, with some involving the centre-left S&D and liberal Renew group. MEP Jörgen Warborn from Sweden met Amazon five times — more than any other politician.
Transparency International reviewed 31,000 meetings but found that 90 MEPs never declared any. Informal meetings are not required to be reported, making the true number likely higher.
The group is calling for all meetings — formal or informal — to be published and for only registered lobbyists to be allowed.
