back to article Microsoft outspends world's tech firms with '€5m' EU lobby bill

Microsoft spends more than any other tech company in the world on lobbying the EU, if you believe the figures in the non-obligatory EU Transparency Register. A new online tool called LobbyFacts.eu allows data from the register to be automatically sorted, compared, ranked and analysed in ways not possible through the official …

  1. Lionel Baden

    A Mandadory Register

    Are you stark raving mad !!!

    They will be able to start tracing all the bribery and blackmail !!!

    1. Pascal Monett Silver badge

      Tracing the bribery is exactly what it is all about.

      Personally, after having heard some stand-up comic say that politicians should have sponsor stickers on their vests so we know why they say what they do, I wholeheartedly support this kind of move.

      As long as we don't know who pays who, we are not living in a true democracy.

      On the other hand, human nature is such that I very much doubt the lobbying waters are going to get clearer any time soon. Changing anything in politics via normal, legal routes is just a heavy, slow freight train taking forever to reach its destination - time during which the hyenas can leisurely plan how to route around this new legislation to continue their back alley ways.

      Doing things the right way can be so frustrating...

      1. ratfox

        Tracing the bribery is exactly what it is all about.

        Whoosh!

  2. Andy The Hat Silver badge

    The big money drives the EU - democracy doesn't.

    Nothing will change.

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