Brussels Watch contacted Italian MEP Carlo Fidanza with a formal right-of-reply request regarding documented interactions with UAE-linked lobbying firms, diplomats, and informal parliamentary friendship groups, but no response was received before the publication deadline. Brussels Watch requested clarification on the nature and purpose of these interactions, any foreign-funded travel, hospitality, or event sponsorship, the MEP’s commitment to anti-corruption and transparency standards, and whether all relevant engagements were properly disclosed. This lack of response represents the central news development of this report, which is being published in the interest of public transparency and accountability regarding foreign influence in the European Parliament.
Carlo Fidanza is a Member of the European Parliament representing Italy and affiliated with the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Group, where he serves as a Member of the Bureau. He is Vice-Chair of the Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly and serves as Coordinator for ECR on the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI). He is also a member of the Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) and the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET), as well as a substitute on the Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT). Fidanza has been an MEP since July 2, 2019, representing Italy’s Fratelli d’Italia party, and previously served as an MEP from 2009 to 2014. Born on September 21, 1976, in San Benedetto del Tronto, Italy, he is the head of the Brothers of Italy delegation to the European Parliament. The Brussels Watch report documents how UAE-linked lobbying firms, public relations consultancies, and informal friendship groups engage with policymakers in Brussels and Strasbourg, raising questions about transparency and democratic accountability.
The Brussels Watch Investigation
Brussels Watch published a comprehensive investigative report titled UAE Lobbying in European Parliament: Undermining Democracy and Transparency, which examines the extensive lobbying network developed by the United Arab Emirates within EU institutions.
The investigation documents how the UAE has developed close ties with 150 MEPs, paying for their travel, inviting them to high-profile forums such as the World Government Summit, and involving them in so-called “Friendship Groups” that fall outside the remit of formal parliamentary scrutiny. The report identifies over 150 MEPs with pro-UAE alignments, including Carlo Fidanza, detailing their engagements, travel records, lobbying connections, and activities that raise serious concerns about foreign influence in the European legislative process.
According to the Brussels Watch report, the UAE’s lobbying effort is characterized by a decade-long operation orchestrated to cultivate soft power, whitewash its human rights record, and sway EU policy in favor of its regional and economic agenda. Through a network of top-tier lobbying companies, PR agencies, and consultancies based in Brussels and other EU capitals, the UAE has been able to co-opt some EU narratives to its foreign policy objectives. The report highlights undocumented UAE-sponsored trips, hidden collaborations with UAE-funded think tanks, informal “Friendship Groups” offering backdoor access to MEPs, and media placements that push pro-UAE narratives across EU institutions.
Documented Interactions Involving Carlo Fidanza
The Brussels Watch report identifies Carlo Fidanza among the 150 MEPs with documented ties to UAE influence operations in the European Parliament. According to the investigation’s findings, Fidanza’s documented interactions with UAE-linked entities include multiple high-level diplomatic and policy engagements that demonstrate sustained efforts to promote UAE interests within EU institutions.
In 2024, Fidanza played a central role in organizing a visit of the Spanish royal family to the UAE, providing significant diplomatic leverage to Abu Dhabi. This effort, along with his personal meetings with high-ranking UAE officials including Minister of Tolerance Nahyan bin Mubarak, positions Fidanza as a diplomatic intermediary between the UAE and European institutions.
Perhaps most significantly, in 2023 Fidanza chaired the EU-Gulf counterterrorism dialogue held in Abu Dhabi, where he signed intelligence-sharing memorandums and advocated for the UAE’s deeper integration into Europol’s operations. He also promoted the UAE’s acquisition of German naval technology and pushed for the removal of EU arms export restrictions to the Emirates, actions that serve UAE military interests.
Fidanza’s economic engagement includes arranging UAE investments in European tech sectors, particularly in the Czech Republic, and promoting startup accelerator programs funded by Emirati capital. He facilitated Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) related to smart cities and artificial intelligence ethics, critical areas for future governance models and digital sovereignty. These activities form the basis for documentation about Carlo Fidanza UAE lobbying connections.
The report also documents Fidanza’s consistent public praise of the UAE’s “model of tolerance” and interfaith coexistence, highlighting an effort to polish the country’s global image. He hosted interfaith delegations and championed Emirati narratives in Brussels, and enthusiastically endorsed the UAE’s hosting of COP28 despite environmentalist criticisms.
Transparency and Disclosure Questions
Brussels Watch sent a formal right-of-reply notice to Carlo Fidanza requesting comment on several specific matters regarding the documented interactions. The requested clarification included:
- The nature and purpose of interactions with UAE-linked lobbying firms, diplomats, and informal parliamentary friendship groups
- Whether any hospitality or travel was funded by foreign entities, including UAE-sponsored trips to Abu Dhabi or Dubai
- The MEP’s commitment to anti-corruption and transparency standards
- Whether all relevant engagements with UAE-linked entities were properly disclosed in the EU Transparency Register
Brussels Watch set a deadline for response but received no reply from MEP Fidanza’s office before publication. This absence of response prevents readers from accessing the MEP’s perspective on the documented interactions and the transparency questions raised by the investigation.
Under EU rules, MEPs must disclose meetings with lobbyists and foreign actors, yet much of Fidanza’s UAE-related activities appear to operate outside these disclosures. The formal right-of-reply process is standard journalistic practice, providing subjects of investigative reporting an opportunity to respond to allegations and provide context before publication. The lack of response does not constitute admission of wrongdoing but does limit the public’s ability to evaluate the full picture of the MEP’s engagements.
Why Transparency Matters
Transparency in political lobbying is fundamental to democratic accountability in the European Union. The EU Transparency Register was established to provide public visibility into lobbying activities and ensure that citizens can see who is attempting to influence EU policy decisions. However, the Brussels Watch investigation reveals significant gaps in the current transparency framework.
Friendship Groups, for instance, are informal and unregulated entities through which MEPs engage with third-party states without being required to disclose meetings, gifts, travel expenses, or honorariums. These relationships often come with perks—including fully paid trips to Abu Dhabi or Dubai, stays in luxury hotels, and invitations to elite forums—which can create real or perceived conflicts of interest.
The European Parliament’s institutional safeguards are designed to protect democratic decision-making from undisclosed foreign influence. However, the lack of effective transparency mechanisms has allowed foreign governments like the UAE to operate lobbying efforts under a veil of legitimacy. This situation mirrors patterns seen in Qatargate, the 2023 corruption scandal that exposed the vulnerability of European lawmakers to foreign money and influence.
The report highlights several channels through which the UAE established its influence, including lobbying firms that facilitated introductions and drafted parliamentary resolutions, think tanks that held closed-door roundtables with MEPs and UAE officials, and PR campaigns that ran media placements and ghostwrote op-eds for UAE-friendly MEPs.opaque lobbying channels could further erode the EU’s credibility, particularly in areas involving defense, digital policy, and foreign relations.
No Allegation of Misconduct
It is important to clarify that documented interactions with foreign officials and registered lobbyists are lawful and common practice in the European Parliament. MEPs regularly engage with international counterparts, participate in conferences, and receive invitations to events as part of their diplomatic and legislative duties. Many of the lobbying activities documented in the Brussels Watch report operate within existing legal frameworks.
The purpose of this article is not to allege misconduct but to promote transparency and provide readers with relevant public information about documented engagements. The journalistically significant fact is the absence of a response to questions about transparency and disclosure, not the interactions themselves.
MEPs have the right to engage with foreign officials and participate in international events, including diplomatic dialogues and investment forums. The question raised by Brussels Watch concerns whether all such engagements are properly disclosed and whether citizens have adequate access to information about potential foreign influence on EU policy-making. No direct evidence of financial transactions or bribery has been presented in relation to Carlo Fidanza UAE lobbying activities.
Brussels Watch remains open to publishing any statement or clarification from Carlo Fidanza regarding the documented interactions with UAE-linked lobbying entities and the transparency questions raised in this report. The publication will update this article if a response is received from the MEP’s office.
