U.S. firms lead EU lobbying league

* U.S. companies dominate top spending rankings * Tech rivals Microsoft, Google among big lobbiers * Oil giants maintain high spending, Deutsche Bank grows * Data deadline was first since registration mandatory By Alastair Macdonald BRUSSELS, April 30 (Reuters) - U.S. companies, includingtech rivals Microsoft and Google, were amongleading spenders on corporate lobbying in Brussels last year, aReuters review of new data showed (table below). Companies had until Thursday to update public entries in theEuropean Union's newly revamped Transparency Register followinga tightening of rules in January that obliges firms to registerif they want to meet EU commissioners and senior staff. Oil majors Exxon Mobil of the United States andAnglo-Dutch Shell shared the top spot with Microsoft,with reported spending in their last financial years of between4.5 and 4.5 million euros ($5.0-5.6 million). Those figures were broadly in line with the trio's spendingin previous filings recorded in January by researchers atanti-corruption group Transparency International -- theCommission itself does not provide comparative data withprevious years. However, some of the other big spenders recorded sharpincreases, including Google and Germany's Deutsche Bank, whichdoubled their expenditure, U.S. chemicals group Dow, whichrecorded four times the level of spending as its previous entry. None of the companies listed offered comment. Google, subject of a high-profile antitrust case launched bythe Commission two weeks ago after a five-year investigation,spent 3.0-3.5 million euros ($3.4-3.9 million), the same as Dow. Microsoft, which has itself been fined heavily in thepast by EU antitrust authorities, has been prominent among thosepursuing complaints against its American rival Google. Two German companies were among those which spent 3 millioneuros or more last year. Deutsche Bank was the fourthbiggest spender, reporting lobbying activity worth 3.96 millioneuros, and engineer Siemens spent 3.23 million. China's tech leader Huawei Technologies reportedspending of 3.0 million euros in 2014. That was the same as ithad previously reported as spending in its 2012 fiscal year. DATA QUALITY IMPROVING Also reporting spending of 3.0 million was paij GmbH, aGerman company that sells a mobile payments app and which putitself on the Register for the first time in March. Officials atthe company could not immediately be reached for comment. U.S. engineering firm General Electric reported lobbyspending in the EU of 3.25-3.50 million euros for 2013. No 2014data appeared on its page on the Transparency Register. Transparency International's Daniel Freund said some changesin data filed appeared to reflect a recognition among companiesthat the Register now set more rigorous reporting requirements.Over 1,000 organisations registered for the first time afterJan. 27, when it became a condition for access to officials. "The data quality seems to be getting better," Freund said,while noting that the Register only went some way to clarifyinghow much effort was going in to lobbying in Brussels and sayingthat the Commission appeared to have so far put only limitedstaff resources into scrutiny of the accuracy of entries. Other organisations, including non-governmental pressuregroups, must also declare spending. Environmental lobbyGreenpeace, for example, declared 1.0-1.25 million euros in2013. A second element of transparency introduced under EuropeanCommission President Jean-Claude Juncker since he took office inNovember is a register of contacts by commissioners and seniorstaff with companies, lobby groups and their representatives. Transparency International research found U.S. firms Google,Microsoft and General Electric, as well as European planemakerAirbus, were among the most active in visiting top EU officialssince such meetings first had to made public in December. Company Nationality 2014 spend Previous (EUR mln)* spend** 1= ExxonMobil U.S. 4.5 - 5.0 4.75 - 5.0 Microsoft U.S. 4.5 - 5.0 4.25 - 4.75 Shell UK/Netherlands 4.5 - 5.0 4.25 - 4.5 4 Deutsche Bank Germany 3.96 1.99 5= Dow U.S. 3.5 - 4.0 0.8 - 0.9 Google U.S. 3.5 - 4.0 1.25 - 1.5 7 Siemens Germany 3.23 4.36 8= Huawei China 3.0 3.0 paij Germany 3.0 n/a General Electric U.S. n/a 3.25 - 3.5 *Source: Transparency Register; **Source: TransparencyInternational($1 = 0.8934 euros) (Reporting by Alastair Macdonald; @macdonaldrtr; Editing byElaine Hardcastle)