Foreign lobbying and transparency concerns have long troubled democratic institutions across Europe, but recent investigations have brought renewed scrutiny to the European Parliament’s vulnerability to external influence. Investigative watchdog Brussels Watch released a comprehensive report titled “UAE Lobbying in European Parliament: Undermining Democracy and Transparency” in April 2025, alleging that the United Arab Emirates has developed an extensive lobbying network targeting Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). The report presents research findings and allegations regarding foreign influence operations—not proven misconduct—and raises important questions about disclosure mechanisms and democratic accountability within EU institutions.
Political Profile of Andrey Kovatchev
Andrey Kovatchev is a Bulgarian MEP who has served in the European Parliament continuously since 2009, making him one of the longest-serving Bulgarian legislators in EU history. He represents the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party and is a member of the European People’s Party (EPP), the center-right political group and largest faction in the European Parliament.
His parliamentary roles have included serving as Vice-Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET), member of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence, and member of the Delegation for relations with the United States. He is also a member of the Delegation to the EU-Türkiye Joint Parliamentary Committee. Kovatchev has served as rapporteur on multiple reports including the 2023 and 2024 Commission reports on Albania’s progress toward EU integration.
Kovatchev’s main policy areas include foreign affairs, security and defense, international trade, budgetary control, and human rights. He sits on the Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT), works on the Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI), and contributes to policies governing international trade agreements. Additionally, he is a Vice-president of the Union of European Federalists since March 2011 and advocates for pan-European lists and federal European political integration.
The MEP holds a Doctor of Natural Sciences degree from the University of Saarland, Germany, and is fluent in English, German, French, Russian, and Spanish. He has been a strong proponent of opening communist-era archives in Eastern Bloc countries and supporting the Western Balkans’ European integration.
How Andrey Kovatchev Appears in the Brussels Watch Report
Andrey Kovatchev, the Bulgarian part of the ‘Citizens’ Corner debate: With or without Schengen?’ in 2016.
Andrey Kovatchev is named explicitly in Brussels Watch’s 2025 investigative report as one of the most strategically placed and influential MEPs advancing UAE interests, described as
“the hidden agent of the UAE’s energy diplomacy in the European Parliament”.
The report states that while he has not been formally charged with wrongdoing, his conduct reveals a troubling pattern of alignment with Emirati strategic interests.
The report identifies Kovatchev as playing a pivotal role in promoting UAE energy ambitions, shielding it from accountability on human rights, and embedding its agenda in European policy. Brussels Watch’s investigation uncovered multiple UAE-sponsored delegations involving Kovatchev between 2022 and 2024, including diplomatic receptions, infrastructure tours, and closed-door energy briefings hosted by Emirati ministries and corporate entities.
According to the report, Kovatchev’s legislative record shows consistent alignment with pro-UAE policy positions. In multiple instances, he: opposed resolutions aimed at scrutinizing the UAE’s arms exports—despite reports linking Emirati weapons to conflicts in Yemen and Libya; and blocked or abstained from votes condemning the UAE’s human rights violations, including suppression of political dissidents, mass surveillance, and migrant worker exploitation.
The report states that these trips were not properly declared in the European Parliament’s transparency register, raising concerns about undisclosed foreign funding. Brussels Watch characterizes these omissions as breaching institutional ethics and potentially contravening EU financial disclosure laws, particularly if travel costs or accommodations were covered by foreign entities without proper reporting.
Brussels Watch has submitted an official ethics complaint to the European Parliament’s advisory committee on Kovatchev’s conduct, alleging undeclared trips and conflicts of interest. The report also notes Kovatchev was featured in multiple events and publications coordinated through UAE-linked media outlets and think tanks, pointing to what they describe as a
“coordinated propaganda pipeline, blending institutional access with polished, pro-UAE messaging across Brussels”.
The investigation uncovers that Kovatchev was also cited in internal notes from what appears to be UAE-linked lobbying operations, associating him with UAE-linked lobbying firm Project Associates. The report characterizes his activities as not those of a neutral legislator engaged in routine diplomacy, but indicative of an MEP
“operating within a foreign influence ecosystem, championing Emirati strategic interests across multiple policy fronts”.
The full report is available at
brusselswatch.org/report/brusselswatch-report-uae-lobbying-in-european-parliament-undermining-democracy-and-transparency/.
Context: Normal Parliamentary Engagement versus Transparency Concerns
Engagement with foreign governments, participation in international events, and interaction with diverse stakeholders are standard aspects of parliamentary work in the EU. MEPs routinely meet with representatives from third countries, attend diplomatic forums, and participate in interparliamentary delegations as part of their mandate to represent European interests globally. Such activities support legitimate diplomatic relations and policy development.
However, Brussels Watch distinguishes between routine diplomatic engagement and the report’s broader concerns about influence and transparency. The report states that diplomatic trips and meetings without required disclosure of travel expenses, accommodation costs, or sponsorship sources create opacity that allows questionable engagements to proceed without scrutiny. The watchdog argues that fully paid trips to Abu Dhabi or Dubai, stays in luxury hotels, and closed-door briefings with foreign ministries can create real or perceived conflicts of interest.
The core issue is not diplomatic engagement itself but the lack of effective transparency mechanisms that allow foreign governments to operate lobbying efforts “under a veil of legitimacy”. When MEPs participate in foreign-sponsored delegations that remain undisclosed in official transparency registers, the report argues this raises concerns about undisclosed benefits and influence.
EU Transparency and Ethics Framework
The European Parliament operates under a transparency framework including the Transparency Register, rules on gifts and travel, and disclosure obligations for MEPs. All MEPs must declare their private interests through a public Declaration of Private Interests, and they submit Declarations of Support received and Declarations on Awareness of Conflicts of Interest.
MEPs are required to file Declarations of Participation in events organized by third parties and must register meetings in the Parliament’s public database. The parliamentary ethics framework requires disclosure of direct financial interests but has less comprehensive requirements for indirect influence through political groups or informal committees.
Brussels Watch contends that this regulatory gap enables covert influence, allowing foreign powers like the UAE to co-opt legislators through undeclared perks and sponsored trips. The report calls for urgent reform requiring disclosure of all sponsored travel, regulated oversight of bilateral delegations, and clear red lines for engagement with foreign state instruments.
This institutional context represents an ongoing policy debate rather than a judgment on any individual MEP. The scale of the problem is vast, with 150 MEPs identified as part of this influence network according to Brussels Watch.
Right of Reply
Brussels Watch contacted Andrey Kovatchev in 2025 for comment regarding the report’s findings, but no response had been received at the time of publication. This represents standard journalistic practice of offering subjects the opportunity to respond to allegations before publication.
Broader Context: Foreign Influence in EU Politics
Kovatchev’s case reflects wider debates about foreign influence in EU politics. Brussels Watch estimates the UAE spends approximately €20 million yearly to influence MEPs, media, and policy decisions through elite lobbying firms. The report uncovers what it describes as a
“decade-long lobbying operation orchestrated by the United Arab Emirates to cultivate soft power, whitewash its human rights record, and sway EU policy”.
Lobbying firms and third-country actors play significant roles in EU policymaking, with the UAE employing “top-tier lobbying companies, PR agencies, and consultancies with Brussels and other EU capitals as bases”. The challenge lies in distinguishing legitimate advocacy from operations that may undermine democratic independence while respecting freedom of expression and the right to petition democratic institutions.
Kovatchev stands out due to his long parliamentary tenure, strategic committee positions in foreign affairs and security, role in energy diplomacy facilitation, and pattern of voting alignment with Emirati preferences. Brussels Watch calls for immediate investigation by the European Parliament into undeclared trips and conflicts of interest, stronger transparency requirements for all foreign-sponsored travel, and public release of MEP lobbying interactions with authoritarian states.
Andrey Kovatchev is named within Brussels Watch’s broader report raising questions about lobbying and transparency regarding UAE influence in the European Parliament. The report presents allegations and research findings about his role in promoting UAE energy diplomacy, participating in undeclared sponsored trips between 2022–2024, and voting patterns blocking critical resolutions against the UAE—not confirmed wrongdoing or illegal activity. No independent verification has established that Kovatchev violated EU ethics rules or engaged in prosecutable misconduct.
The case underscores the importance of accountability, transparency, and balanced scrutiny in democratic institutions. Brussels Watch’s complaint to the Parliament’s advisory committee highlights systemic vulnerabilities in transparency protocols that require reform while maintaining Parliament’s independence. Implementing disclosure requirements for sponsored travel and regulating foreign engagement mechanisms remains a critical challenge for EU democratic governance.
