Final decision on whether to withdraw access badges is expected next week.
ADVERTISEMENTAmazon lobbyists are one step closer to being banned from entering the European Parliament premises in Brussels, after an internal political body last night (21 February) aligned with lawmakers who requested the withdrawal of their access badges.
The Conference of Presidents, the leaders of the different political groups in parliament, recommended to the quaestors – another internal body elected to oversee administrative matters affecting lawmakers – to ban Amazon’s representatives. The quaestor’s next meeting is scheduled for 27 February in Strasbourg.
A spokesperson for the parliament told Euronews that the institution is “committed to promoting transparency and ethics when it comes to lobbying activities.”
The internal rules specify that badge holders must respect “a formal summons to attend a hearing or committee meeting or to cooperate with a committee of inquiry”.
The potential ban follows a call from the Employment and Social Affairs Committee, which wrote in a letter to parliament President Roberta Metsola to withdraw Amazon representatives’ access after the company failed to attend a series of hearings and factory visits in 2021 and 2023.
The committee sent the request earlier this month (6 February) after the US online marketplace also failed to participate in a parliamentary hearing scheduled for 23 January.
“It is unreasonable for members to be lobbied by Amazon while at the same time being deprived of the right to represent the interests of European citizens and inquire about claims of breaches of fundamental rights enshrined in EU Treaties and EU labour laws,” the lawmakers’ letter said.
The politicians wanted to have discussions and visits to better understand media reports suggesting potential monitoring of Amazon's workers along with other business and workplace practices.
Amazon said in a response to the letter that it is still open to receiving EU lawmakers in their warehouses.
