Lobby organisation
Independent Retail Europe (formerly UGAL - Union of Groups of Independent Retailers of Europe)
Business / industry · Consumer & retail · HQ: Belgium · Transparency Register entry
As of 9 September 2026, Independent Retail Europe (formerly UGAL - Union of Groups of Independent Retailers of Europe) appears in 23 declared MEP meetings (19 different MEPs), most often with Socialists & Democrats.
In their own words
“Established in 1963, Independent Retail Europe is the European trade association that acts as an umbrella organisation for the independent retail sector. Our members are associations and groups of independent retailers, and associations of such groups. In the groups, the retailers are shareholders. As such, they are involved in the group’s strategy and decisions, whilst remaining fully independent SME retailers.…”
Stated goals from the organisation's own Transparency Register filing.
Who they meet, and when
Which groups they meet
Share of this organisation's 23 declared meetings, by the meeting MEP's political group.
Meetings by year
Declared meetings per calendar year, 2022–2026. Bar length is relative to its busiest year (8 in 2023).
Group is each MEP's current political group, not necessarily the one they sat with at the time. Shares are rounded to whole percent.
The MEPs they meet most
The 15 most recent declared meetings
| Date | MEP | Subject |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Jun 2026 | Dirk Gotink | TSC and UTP |
| 24 Apr 2026 | Sebastian Tynkkynen | Digital Omnibus |
| 3 Jun 2025 | François Kalfon | Priorités IMCO 2024-2029 |
| 8 Apr 2025 | Anna Strolenberg | CMO |
| 3 Apr 2025 | Adnan Dibrani | Regulation on cooperation between enforcement authorities for the UTP Directive |
| 5 Feb 2025 | Veronika Vrecionová | Priorities of SMEs in the new legislative term |
| 5 Feb 2025 | Ondřej Krutílek | Priorities of SMEs in the new legislative term |
| 3 Dec 2024 | Dirk Gotink | payment systems, digital euro, customs legislation, territorial supply constraints |
| 6 Nov 2024 | Nikola Minchev | Meeting |
| 6 Nov 2024 | Norbert Lins | Sustainable food systems |
| 15 Oct 2024 | Jeannette Baljeu | IMCO priorities |
| 11 Oct 2024 | Ana Vasconcelos | Green Claims and Waste Framework Directive |
| 7 Oct 2024 | André Franqueira Rodrigues | Unfair trading practices |
| 7 Oct 2024 | Laura Ballarín Cereza | Green Claims Directive, Late Payment regulation and ADR/ODR |
| 28 Aug 2023 | René Repasi | Exchange of Views on the Right to Repair/ Recht auf Reparatur (R2R) |
Meeting an MEP is a normal part of democratic life; the record is shown so anyone can see it.