2023-05-11 20:31:24
Apple wants to make its voice heard by the European authorities, and like many other companies, it employs a team of lobbyists responsible for spreading the word in Brussels and in the European authorities. And the needs have continued to grow over the years. During the 2020 financial year (which runs from October 2019 to September 2020), the manufacturer had spent 3.5 to 3.7 million euros.
A budget which doubled for the following financial year, with expenditure ranging between 6.5 and 6.7 million euros. And for the 2022 financial year (October 2021 to September 2022, therefore), Apple has invested 7 to 8 million euros in this activity, according to the transparency statement of the group. La Pomme mobilized a total of 32 people to lobby within the EU (which corresponds to 7.4 full-time equivalents). To be compared with the 21 lobbyists and 7.2 full-time equivalents for the previous fiscal year.
Last year, Apple logically targeted legislation on the digital market (DMA) and on digital services (DSA), two texts that concern the company in the first place.
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But these are not the only topics of interest for Apple. The manufacturer was also interested in the definition of the framework for digital identity in Europe, the proposal concerning the fight against child pornography content (CSAM), or even to influence the “AI Act”, the regulation of ‘artificial intelligence. Apple also contributed to public consultations on the unique USB-C charger, on essential patents, on competition issues.
At the head of these seasoned “influencers”, we always find Michelle O’Neillin place since November 2021. This lobbying work gets bad press, but European regulators (and all those around the world) also need to know the point of view of companies when drafting legislation — even if, in the case of DMA for example, the legislation does not go in the direction desired by Apple.
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