Posted on March 7, 2025
March 5, 2025
Her Excellency Jovita Neliupsiene
Ambassador
Delegation of the European Union to the United States of America
2175 K Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20037
Dear Madam Ambassador:
The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (Committee) has serious concerns regarding the recent Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filing on behalf of the European Union (E.U.), which describes E.U. efforts to lobby United States lawmakers and policy officials in an effort to secure modifications to the Jones Act (46 U.S.C. § 55102), an important American national and economic security law.1 The Committee urges the E.U.’s halt efforts to bypass traditional diplomatic channels and undermine American public trust in Federal law and policy.
The FARA filing was required by the E.U.’s financing of a United States firm to create “one or two funny but informative”2 TikTok-like videos to criticize the Jones Act. 3 In the FARA
filing, the TikTok-like videos were described as part of a broader, multi-faceted, multi-phased lobbying and public relations campaign financed by the E.U. to challenge the Jones Act. That broader lobbying campaign to challenge the Jones Act was outlined in detail in a document included in the FARA filing and is also attached to this letter. We understand that the E.U. lobbying document was removed from the FARA filing shortly after its existence was publicly disclosed.
The lobbying efforts by the E.U. raise significant concerns. In response to media reports about the filing, a spokesman for the E.U. stated that “the European Union has long conducted outreach in the United States on the question of market access for various maritime services,”4 citing previous trade negotiations.5 However, the activities described in the attached lobbying
