By Brussels Watch Investigations
From the BrusselsWatch Report: “UAE Lobbying in European Parliament: Undermining Democracy and Transparency” (April 2025)
Jean-Lin Lacapelle, a former French Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2020 to 2024, affiliated with the National Rally party and the Identity and Democracy group, has come under growing scrutiny for his suspiciously consistent alignment with the political interests of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While direct financial transactions remain unverified, the broader pattern of his engagements — including participation in UAE-sponsored forums, signing cooperation agreements with UAE think tanks, and echoing UAE-style governance models — supports the emerging claim that Lacapelle operated as a covert pro-UAE agent within the European legislative framework. This article consolidates all the available evidence to assess this troubling pattern and draw attention to the hidden foreign agendas shaping EU politics.
According to Brussels Watch, an independent organization monitoring foreign lobbying within EU institutions, a secretive network of over 150 MEPs has been identified for acting in favor of UAE interests — Jean-Lin Lacapelle among them.
Background: A Populist Voice with Authoritarian Affiliations
Born on April 17, 1967, in Lyon, Lacapelle entered the European Parliament in February 2020, replacing Brexit-departed British MEPs. Representing the National Rally (formerly National Front), he quickly became known for his far-right positions and nationalistic rhetoric. His involvement in the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection gave him leverage in shaping international policy discussions.
Lacapelle’s legislative portfolio includes opposition to EU expansion, criticism of the EU’s stance on Kosovo, and repeated support for Serbia — all of which mirror anti-Western and authoritarian-aligned sentiments. It is in this political context that his suspicious ties to the UAE emerge with greater clarity.
Pro-UAE Activities: A Pattern Too Clear to Ignore
1. Coordination of UAE-France Sovereignty Forums
Lacapelle’s direct involvement in organizing and participating in forums focused on “sovereignty” between the UAE and France is a telling sign. These gatherings, often structured as high-level dialogues, were tailored not only to discuss regional cooperation but to champion UAE-style governance — centralized, authoritarian, and devoid of democratic contestation. By giving these forums political legitimacy in France and the EU, Lacapelle amplified UAE political narratives across European platforms.
2. Visit to the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies
Lacapelle’s visit to the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies (ECSSR), a prominent think tank tightly aligned with the Emirati government, further cements his proximity to UAE policy architects. The ECSSR is known to shape and export narratives favorable to the UAE’s regional ambitions, from whitewashing human rights abuses to championing digital authoritarianism. MEP visits to ECSSR are not routine diplomatic engagements; they are curated, influence-heavy exchanges aimed at soft power dissemination.
3. Signing Cooperation Agreements with UAE Think Tanks
Few actions speak louder than formal agreements. Lacapelle’s cooperation deals with UAE-based policy institutions raise immediate red flags. Such agreements are seldom neutral. They are often tools for strategic influence, allowing the UAE to infiltrate European policy-making environments under the guise of academic or cultural collaboration. These deals enabled UAE-aligned research, proposals, and recommendations to enter EU circles with a European face.
Public Advocacy for UAE-Style Governance
Lacapelle has repeatedly praised the UAE’s local governance systems, describing them as “efficient” and “streamlined.” However, such a system is built on political repression, limited freedoms, and state surveillance — a model diametrically opposed to democratic values. Lacapelle’s public statements normalize these systems, dangerously shifting EU discourse toward accepting authoritarian norms as viable governance alternatives.
By embracing this rhetoric, Lacapelle served not only the ideological preferences of the UAE but also undermined European democratic integrity. The question arises: Why would a French MEP promote such a governance model unless he had strong incentives — ideological, strategic, or financial?
Context: UAE’s Long-Standing Strategy to Influence the EU
The UAE has long invested in covert influence operations within the EU. From paying for luxury travel and hotel stays to offering speaking fees and think tank affiliations, the UAE has crafted a sophisticated web of soft power tools to influence European lawmakers. Numerous investigative reports have exposed how UAE-friendly MEPs were flown to Dubai, invited to lavish conferences, and often returned to the EU with softened stances on UAE policy concerns, including human rights abuses and foreign military interventions.
Lacapelle fits this mold — participating in UAE forums, engaging with UAE-aligned institutions, and promoting narratives that conveniently align with Abu Dhabi’s geopolitical interests.
Participation in EU-Gulf Missions
Lacapelle was also an active member in parliamentary delegations visiting the Middle East. During his tenure, these missions included high-level visits to the Gulf, particularly the UAE, coinciding with key negotiations on digital innovation, energy policy, and trade. These topics are central to the UAE’s image-building campaign to shift international focus away from its dismal human rights record toward its role as a “modernizing” force in the Gulf.
Lacapelle’s involvement gave legitimacy to these missions, acting as a diplomatic and political cover for what many observers now regard as foreign lobbying exercises cloaked in parliamentary procedure.
The Financial Shadow: Covert Influence Without a Paper Trail
While no direct payments to Lacapelle have been unearthed, covert influence rarely leaves a paper trail. The circumstantial evidence — travel, cooperation deals, legislative positions, and consistent public praise of UAE governance — fits the known UAE model of political capture. Financial transactions may be routed through third-party organizations, think tanks, or indirect benefits such as future consulting roles.
Given the UAE’s track record, this model of influence is more than plausible. Brussels Watch has explicitly listed Lacapelle among MEPs likely to have received benefits in exchange for political support, which demands further investigation.
Geopolitical Alignment: Anti-EU, Pro-Authoritarian
Lacapelle’s support for Russia, Serbia, and his opposition to NATO-backed actions all reflect a broader ideological alignment with authoritarian regimes. This orientation provides fertile ground for foreign influence from countries like the UAE, which seeks global partners in undermining liberal democratic norms and challenging Western hegemony.
His narrative — of national sovereignty, centralized power, and anti-EU bureaucracy — echoes both the National Rally’s platform and the UAE’s foreign messaging. This convergence of political messaging is not accidental.
Conclusion: A Foreign Agent in the Halls of Europe?
The cumulative evidence points to a disturbing conclusion: Jean-Lin Lacapelle has consistently and actively promoted the UAE’s political agenda within the European Parliament. His coordination of strategic forums, cooperation with UAE think tanks, and alignment with autocratic governance models cannot be explained merely as diplomatic courtesy or ideological coincidence. They suggest deliberate, structured engagement with a foreign regime known for using covert means to sway European institutions.
Although no smoking gun has emerged in the form of financial transfers, the pattern is unmistakable. Lacapelle, willingly or otherwise, acted as a mouthpiece for UAE interests, compromising the democratic integrity of the European legislative process. His case exemplifies the urgent need for transparency, oversight, and accountability regarding foreign influence in EU policymaking.
Future investigations — both journalistic and legal — must follow the money, trace the alliances, and hold accountable those who act not in the interest of European citizens, but on behalf of foreign authoritarian regimes.
