MEP-Industry Forums are groups that invove MEPs from different parties meeting with interest representtaives from a respective sector. They facilitate broad sectoral interest representation during conferences and lunch debates that are organized and where business people talk about the issues of concern to them in their sector. They play a very useful role in that they support MEPs in their efforts to shape policy and regulations by facilitating and strengthening the exchange of information.

D’une façon générale les cercles d’affaires (business clubs) favorisent le rassemblement d’hommes et femmes d’affaires, chefs d’entreprise, dirigeants, politiciens,  profession libérales, représentants des médias ayant en commun la volonté de développer leurs affaires et leurs réseaux de relations professionnelles souvent dans un lieu prestigieux. Par leur qualité, les membres de ces cercles jouent un rôle majeur au plan économique, social et politique.

Eurosceptics are citizens or politicians who present themselves as ‘sceptical’ - critical - of the Union which they say takes powers away from their national government and poses a threat to their national sovereignty. There are supposedly two forms of euroscepticism - ‘hard’ and ‘soft’. ‘Hard’ or ‘withdrawalist’ euroscepticism is the opposition to membership or the existence of the EU. ‘Soft’ or ‘reformist’ euroscepticism supports the existence of the EU and membership to the Union, but opposes further integrationist EU policies and the idea of a federal Europe.

The list here below shows the biggest spenders (above € 1 million) in the category ‘Companies & Groups' sourced from the Transparency Register on 17 March 2013 and ranked and published by Dutch news website Sargasso. The expenditures in the list are based on either the exact stated amount in an entry or where declarations give a range the lower threshold has been taken.