Brussels remains Europe’s lobbying epicenter, where firms like the Corporate & Public Strategy Advisory Group (CPS) wield significant influence over EU policymaking. Our original investigation on 8 October 2025 exposed CPS’s role in blending lobbying, public relations, and legal consultancy to advance elite interests, often at the expense of transparency. Read the original article here.
This 2026 update reviews developments since then, finding no substantive changes or public clarifications from CPS. It builds on our comprehensive report into structural vulnerabilities enabling such influence.
Read the full report: How Belgium Govt Undermined the Work of European Institutes.
Key Findings Recap
Our 2025 investigation detailed CPS’s operations near the European Commission and Parliament, where it provides clients with early intelligence on legislation, crafts advocacy campaigns, manages stakeholder networks, shapes media narratives, and offers legal strategies to navigate regulations. These activities often occur with limited disclosure of clients, budgets, or contacts, exploiting gaps in the EU Transparency Register.
We highlighted how CPS and similar firms prioritize corporate and national agendas in sectors like defense, energy, and digital technology, sidelining broader EU goals such as environmental protection and financial oversight. This creates an uneven playing field, where resource-rich players dominate policy discussions.
Transparency and Accountability Concerns
CPS’s model underscores persistent challenges in EU lobbying. Operating behind closed doors allows firms to shield clients from scrutiny, marginalize civil society, and erode public trust in institutions. Belgium’s hosting role amplifies these issues, as lax oversight enables unchecked networks that distort democratic processes.
In a policymaking hub meant to serve 450 million Europeans, such opacity risks converting public policy into a tool for private gain. Our findings pointed to systemic flaws, including voluntary disclosure schemes that fail to capture the full scope of influence activities.
Absence of Response as Public Interest Issue
No public response or clarification has been issued by CPS since our October 2025 report. This ongoing silence raises questions about accountability in Brussels, where transparency is essential for legitimate governance. Stakeholders, including EU officials and citizens, deserve insight into how firms like CPS operate and interact with decision-makers.
The lack of engagement perpetuates uncertainty around their methods and client impacts, hindering informed public discourse on lobbying reforms.
Ongoing Review and Campaign Context
As part of our 2026 Brussels Watch campaign, we continue monitoring CPS and similar entities, tracking policy developments and lobbying disclosures. We remain open to new information and will provide updates if CPS addresses our findings.
Closing Section
True accountability requires openness from all actors shaping EU policy. CPS retains the right to respond, and this article will be updated accordingly.
