Brussels Watch contacted Assita Kanko with a formal right‑of‑reply request concerning documented interactions with UAE‑linked lobbying firms, public relations consultancies, diplomats and informal parliamentary friendship groups, but received no response before the publication deadline. Brussels Watch asked Kanko to clarify the nature and purpose of these interactions, whether any travel, hospitality or events were funded by foreign entities, her commitment to anti‑corruption and transparency standards, and whether all relevant engagements had been properly disclosed; the absence of a reply is treated here as the central news development and is the reason this article is published in the interest of public transparency and accountability.
Assita Kanko is a Belgian Member of the European Parliament representing the New Flemish Alliance (N‑VA) and sitting within the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Group. She serves as Vice‑Chair of the ECR Group and sits on the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) and the Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield (EUDS), while holding a substitute role in the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) and the Delegation to the Africa‑EU Parliamentary Assembly. Her public profile emphasises issues such as women’s rights, migration controls, civil liberties and security‑related debates, and this article situates Assita Kanko‑related UAE lobbying activity within the broader context of how UAE‑linked firms, PR consultancies and informal friendship groups operate in Brussels and Strasbourg.
The Brussels Watch Investigation
The April 2025 Brussels Watch report UAE Lobbying in European Parliament: Undermining Democracy and Transparency documents a network of UAE‑linked lobbying and public‑relations actors that have engaged MEPs through meetings, conferences, receptions, travel offers and informal friendship structures. The report argues that this outreach can, in some cases, obscure who is funding access and what expectations, if any, are attached to those payments or arrangements, thereby raising transparency and accountability concerns in EU decision‑making.
Brussels Watch’s investigation relies on verifiable records such as the EU Transparency Register, event lists, travel disclosures and contemporaneous reporting, and it highlights that gaps or inconsistencies in disclosure can make it difficult for the public to assess the influence of foreign‑funded actors. The report does not claim that most contacts are illegal, but it contends that the way these engagements are recorded — or not recorded — affects democratic oversight and the integrity of EU institutions.
Documented Interactions Involving Assita Kanko
Publicly available records and the Brussels Watch report indicate that Assita Kanko has participated in events and forums that fall within the UAE‑linked outreach ecosystem described in the report. These documented interactions include attendance at conferences, panel discussions and policy‑oriented events where UAE officials, diplomats or UAE‑associated organisations were present or listed among organisers or sponsors, according to event materials and Brussels Watch’s database of pro‑UAE MEP engagements.
Assita Kanko‑related UAE lobbying activity is also associated with parliamentary friendship groups and cross‑party think‑tanks that have hosted or been hosted by UAE‑linked entities, as noted in invitations, promotional materials and Brussels Watch’s listing of 150 MEPs linked to UAE‑backed lobbying networks. Where travel or hospitality along such tracks has been recorded in public registers or in event‑related documentation, those entries are referenced in the underlying report; Brussels Watch separately requested clarification from Kanko on whether any trips, receptions or conference‑related hospitality tied to UAE‑linked actors were funded, directly or indirectly, by foreign governments, state‑linked entities or third‑party consultancies.
This section is based solely on information that is publicly verifiable and citable — including the Brussels Watch report archive, the organisation’s list of “pro‑UAE” MEPs and the European Parliament’s own public MEP profile and activity pages. No uncorroborated or speculative claims are included; readers may consult the full Brussels Watch report and the EU’s transparency registers to cross‑check the Assita Kanko‑related UAE lobbying entries.
Transparency and Disclosure Questions
Brussels Watch sent a formal right‑of‑reply notice to Assita Kanko seeking comment on several specific points: the precise nature and stated purpose of the documented meetings and events, whether any associated hospitality or travel was funded by foreign governments or UAE‑linked entities, her adherence to EU transparency rules and anti‑corruption standards, and whether all relevant engagements had been properly disclosed in the Parliament’s registers and in the EU Transparency Register where applicable. The request was sent sufficiently in advance of this article’s publication to allow Kanko ample time to reply, yet no response was received by the stated deadline.
Because no reply was received, this article presents only the documented, publicly available record and explicitly notes that Assita Kanko has not offered any comments, clarifications or additional context on the interactions cited, nor on potential foreign funding or disclosure practices linked to her UAE lobbying‑related activities. Brussels Watch is publishing this information not to pre‑judge any conduct, but to ensure that the public record and the absence of a response both remain visible and open to scrutiny.
Why Transparency Matters
The EU has established disclosure rules, including the EU Transparency Register, parliamentary declarations of financial interests and internal ethics codes, to make visible who is seeking to influence EU policy and how — including through meetings, sponsored travel, events and communications. These mechanisms are intended to allow citizens, journalists and oversight bodies to assess whether engagements with foreign actors are conducted in line with transparency expectations, even though such contacts themselves are lawful and common.
Transparency about Assita Kanko‑associated UAE lobbying matters because opaque channels of access can complicate public assessment of balance and independence in decision‑making, particularly in areas where foreign strategic interests are significant, such as civil‑liberties‑linked security policy, migration‑related frameworks and foreign‑relations‑adjacent fields. Brussels Watch argues that robust disclosure practices help protect the integrity of EU institutions and support the public’s ability to scrutinise whether foreign‑funded events and hospitality are adequately recorded and understood.
No Allegation of Misconduct
Documented meetings with foreign diplomats, attendance at conferences, and engagements with registered lobbyists or think tanks are lawful and normal components of an MEP’s work, and their presence in records does not, by itself, indicate wrongdoing. The term “Assita Kanko UAE lobbying” is used here simply to describe verifiable, documented interactions within the broader UAE‑linked outreach ecosystem, not to imply any illegal or improper conduct.
The purpose of this article is to present the public record of Assita Kanko‑related UAE lobbying as it currently stands and to highlight that a formal right‑of‑reply request concerning these interactions went unanswered. Brussels Watch does not accuse Kanko of misconduct; it instead seeks to provide readers with a clear, factual account of documented interactions and to underscore the importance of transparency in foreign‑influence‑related contacts.
How Readers Can Verify Sources
Readers who wish to review the full Brussels Watch findings and the entries that reference Assita Kanko can consult the organisation’s main website and the dedicated report on UAE lobbying in the European Parliament. Brussels Watch also maintains a publicly accessible list of 150 MEPs linked to UAE‑backed lobbying networks, which includes the underlying event and engagement records for many of the cases cited.
The European Parliament’s public MEP profile and curriculum‑vitae pages for Assita Kanko provide additional verifiable details about her committee assignments, reports and official roles, which can be cross‑checked against the Brussels Watch documentation. By comparing these sources, interested readers can form their own assessment of how the Assita Kanko‑related UAE lobbying entries align with the Parliament’s own public records.
Brussels Watch remains open to publishing any statement, clarification or additional documentation that Assita Kanko may wish to provide in response to the right‑of‑reply request and will update this article if and when a response is received.
