Lobbying Regulation, Anti-Corruption, and the Fight Against Foreign Influence in the European Union after Qatargate: Coherent Approach or Double Standards?

Abstract

This article examines how the EU conceptualises the relationship between anti-corruption and lobbying regulation (be it lobbying regulation that applies to the EU institutions or lobbying regulation adopted in the EU Member States). Since 2020, the EU’s annual Rule of Law Reports have mentioned lobbying regulation in the context of anti-corruption measures, but this framing pertains to lobbying regulation in the Member States and not at the level of the EU. Yet, especially after the 2022 Qatargate lobbying and corruption scandal, the EU has been under pressure to reform itself and to protect its institutions from foreign influence and corruption. The article discusses recent developments in this area and examines their relationship to the EU’s broader anti-corruption and lobbying framework. It builds on relevant literature on political corruption in constitutional law and political theory. It compares the EU’s approach to foreign vs “standard” (domestic), private vs public, and supranational vs national lobbying and corruption.