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 of the Top 100 corporate spenders in EU lobbying activities is provided for indication only. It may contain errors and inaccuracies as the data are taken from the Transparency Register. It should not be used for meaningful analysis and the data should be verified for accuracy.

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.

"The current crisis challenges quite a number of established perceptions about Europe. Social and even political costs of the crisis are already testing the strength of some ideas that for a long time seemed self-evident. Europe risks losing part of its aura as a symbol of solidarity, modernity and prosperity by staying immersed in a lengthy self-examining exercise that exposes to the world a false image of weakness and division.

"Croatia wants the process of Europeanization to continue and expand so as to include the countries in its neighbourhood which all, without exception, want to become members of the European Union and to which the EU itself offered prospects for membership. Further enlargement to the countries of the Western Balkans is Croatia’s strategic interest. Croatia believes that the process of Europeanization is at the same time the best guarantee of stability, democratic character and peace in the Balkans.

"Latvia conceptual vision of the European Union is that of an economically strong and politically stable union capable of protecting its member states’ interests in all areas in the global arena, whilst preserving the European Union as a community of nation states in which Latvia, along with other countries, can retain its national foundations.

Jean-Claude Junker was Europe’s longest-serving leader, with 18 years as Prime Minister of Luxembourg. He also chaired the "Eurogroup" meetings of euro zone finance ministers from 2005 to 2013. He provides the following assessment of the EU:

"It is necessary to renew the European project to ensure it has life, vigour and importance in a 21st century which is shaped by new challenges and new paradigms of development. This is why we must do whatever it takes to ensure our fellow citizens view the European Union as an essential contribution to the solution of our current problems and an exciting project for the future.

"Today we need a credible Europe to be more resistant to possible future crises and create conditions for economic growth. We must work to further strengthen the foundations for financial stability. This includes further deepening of Economic and Monetary Union, particularly focusing on further development of Banking Union, as well as further work on financial markets reform and fight against tax evasion and tax fraud. We will not regain our credibility without responsible fiscal policies.

"It is becoming increasingly clear that if Europe is to overcome its crisis, business as usual will not suffice. We need a Europe that is more concrete, less rhetorical, and better suited to the current global economy. We need to focus not only on the European Union’s specific policies, but also on how to change its “politics” – a change that must place economic growth at the top of the agenda.