Volkswagen Group—Volkswagen held lobbying meetings with far-right EU lawmakers ahead of vote on combustion-engine ban rollback
An October 2026 investigation by German NGO Lobbycontrol, based on the EU Transparency Register and reported by Der Spiegel, found that major automakers lobbied members of the hard-right 'Patriots for Europe' group in the European Parliament ahead of a vote on weakening the EU's 2035 combustion-engine ban. Volkswagen held 4 meetings with Patriots for Europe lawmakers since summer 2024, more than BMW (2 meetings, which said political extremists were 'explicitly not the focus' of its activities) though fewer than Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis. The industry association ACEA, of which Volkswagen is a member, said it 'engages in discussions with all relevant parliamentarians to clarify the industry's position.'
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Climate Action | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Regulatory Capture | +toward | primary | -1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.483 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (medium ×1) × confidence (0.64)
Evidence (2 signals)
Business & Human Rights Centre: EU car companies allegedly lobbied far-right politicians ahead of engine ban vote
The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, citing a Lobbycontrol/Der Spiegel analysis of the EU Transparency Register, reported that Volkswagen held 4 meetings with 'Patriots for Europe' lawmakers since summer 2024, as automakers sought influence ahead of a European Parliament vote on the 2035 combustion-engine ban.
Der Spiegel: EU Parliament and the combustion-engine phase-out - auto industry seeks closeness to the far right
Der Spiegel's original reporting (October 2, 2026) detailed the Lobbycontrol analysis showing automakers' meetings with far-right 'Patriots for Europe' lawmakers ahead of the engine-ban vote, with Lobbycontrol analyst Nina Katzemich noting that lobbying meetings with such parties are increasingly viewed as a common method for pushing industry interests in Brussels.