Defense industry lobbying surges in Brussels

Since the war reached Europe’s doorstep in February 2022, defense companies have significantly increased their presence in Brussels.

According to a data analysis by POLITICO, the lobbying budgets of Europe’s largest defense companies rose by approximately 40% between 2022 and 2023.

Most of these companies have expanded their Brussels-based teams in the last three years to meet the growing demand for influence in the European Union’s capital.

“We are seeing unprecedented interest driven by the stark reality of the security environment,” said Line Tresselt, partner and director of the defense and security group at Rud Pedersen, a public affairs consultancy that has advised the defense sector for two decades.

While European arms manufacturers want EU funds to go to local companies, foreign firms are also seeking a share of the pie.

“This is more than just a response to the large-scale invasion of Ukraine: With EDIP [the €1.5 billion European Defence Industry Programme], the European Defence Fund, the upcoming EU defense white paper, the newly appointed defense commissioner, and NATO’s changing posture… there is a huge increase in EU-made policies for the sector,” Tresselt said.

The top 10 EU defense firms (Airbus, Leonardo, Thales, Rheinmetall, Naval, Saab, Safran, KNDS Deutschland, Dassault, and Fincantieri) are required to declare their lobbying activities in the EU Transparency Register when lobbying in member states.

Archives from the LobbyFacts database, created by NGOs, also allow for a comparison with previous records from the beginning of 2022 and 2023.

In 2022, the cumulative spending of the top 10 ranged from €3.95 million to €5.1 million; in 2023, this figure rose to between €5.5 million and €6.7 million.

Considering the lower ends of the range, this represents a 40% increase in just one year.

This trend is particularly evident with the Swedish defense giant Saab, which doubled its spending; followed by Airbus and Dassault, which significantly increased their lobbying activities.

In addition to increased budgets, most of these companies have strengthened their teams. 90% of the surveyed firms reported hiring additional full-time staff to represent their interests in Brussels in 2024.

Thales led the way, increasing its lobbying team from 3.5 to 10 people. Leonardo followed, expanding its team from 3 to 5.

Tresselt added that companies that once focused on national markets like Germany and Poland due to the US military presence are now establishing a presence in Brussels as well.

For example, US defense giant Lockheed Martin registered in the EU lobbying register for the first time last May and has already assigned two lobbyists to the European Parliament.

Meanwhile, US aerospace firm RTX also has two full-time lobbyists and four external representatives advocating for its interests in Brussels.