US tech company Amazon has adjusted its declared annual EU lobby spend for last year following complaints by NGOs, bumping the figure to €5m from the €2.75m it had previously declared in the official record-keeper, the Transparency Register.
The shift arose after complaints by Corporate Europe Observatory, the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO), and LobbyControl last December, who claimed that the company has been under-declaring how much it spends for years, and was confirmed in a letter from the register's secretariat seen by Euronews.
In the spring, Amazon already updated its annual lobby budget in the Transparency Register to at least €4.5m, which now has been raised further.
The tech giant was also asked to declare its relationship with think tanks Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) and Center for European Reform (CER), which it had previously not done. Consulting firms Telage and Leading Edge both also included Amazon Europe in their list of clients following the adjustment.
The Transparency Register's secretariat notified Amazon of the complaint in December 2023, and held several exchanges with the company to clarify the role and activities of its related intermediaries and think tanks, according to the letter.
The lobby budget puts the US online retailer in the top five of Big Tech spenders in Europe, according to figures from Lobby Facts.
Meta still tops the list with a budget of €9m, followed by Microsoft on €7m, followed by Apple with €6.5m, and Google on €6m.
A spokesperson for Amazon said in a statement to Euronews that it "engages on issues that are important to our customers, sellers, and the diverse range of businesses we operate."
"This means we work with organisations like trade associations and think tanks, and communicate with officials at the European Institutions. We update our entry in the EU Transparency Register in line with the guidelines," the spokesperson added.
European Parliament ban
In February, 14 Amazon lobbyists were banned from entering the European Parliament following a call from the Employment and Social Affairs Committee (EMPL) after the company failed to attend a series of hearings and factory visits in 2021 and 2023.
The politicians wanted to hold discussions and conduct visits with the tech giant following media reports suggesting the potential monitoring of Amazon's workers along with other business and workplace practices. Amazon said at the time was “very disappointed" with that decision and expressed its willingness to engage with lawmakers.
A group of trade unions subsequently called for the Parliament to impose a ban on all consultancies and lobby groups that Amazon works with "to give real effect” to the decision.
The entry ban on Amazon remains in place for the moment and the trades unions request has not yet been addressed by the Parliament's employment committee.
This story has been updated to include a comment from Amazon, and to add the spring Transparency Register update.
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