Transparency International France seizes the lobbying control authorities for TotalEnergies’ failure to comply with the obligation of sincerity
Paris, May 29, 2026 – TotalEnergies SE and TotalEnergies Marketing France are the subject of reports by Transparency International France to the competent authorities for lobbying actions carried out in 2021 and 2024, deemed contrary to the legal obligation of sincerity which is binding on any interest representative.
A clear legal obligation, already sanctioned
According to the ethical obligations applying to interest representatives1any lobbyist who addresses public officials must “refrain from obtaining or attempting to obtain information or decisions by deliberately communicating erroneous information to these persons or by resorting to maneuvers intended to deceive them”.
Selon Patrick Lefas, Président de Transparency International France : « Sincere lobbying is a condition for the quality of our public policies. Interest representatives must be sincere in the information they communicate to public officials, otherwise the very legitimacy of lobbying is called into question…»
In 2023, following a report from Transparency International France and three partner organizations, the presidents of the National Assembly and the Senate put the pesticide lobby Phytéis on notice for breach of its duty of probity: the organization had communicated with parliamentarians of unsubstantiated employment figures, without being able to justify the methodology.
Formulations condemned in court, used with public authoritiesÂ
The reports on TotalEnergies are based on the final decision rendered on October 23, 2025 by the Paris Judicial Court. Seized by Greenpeace, Les Amis de la Terre France and Notre Affaire à Tous, the court condemned TotalEnergies for deceptive commercial practices, finding that the company had misled its customers by claiming to have the “ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and to be a major player in the energy transition “.
Following a request for access to administrative documents, Transparency International France obtained access to an email sent on May 21, 2024 by the former director of public affairs of TotalEnergies to an energy advisor to the Prime Minister, using formulas identical to those sanctioned by the court. A parliamentary hearing report from September 15, 2021 also attests that these same formulations had been used in front of deputies by another representative of the Total Energies group.
Transparency International France transmet un signalement à  la HATVP et au déontologue de l’Assemblée nationale Â
Selon Kévin Gernier, responsable de plaidoyer de Transparency International France “If the same formulations have been judged to be misleading towards consumers, they cannot be considered sincere when addressed to public officials to guide energy policies. HAS”Â
The association asks the HATVP and the President of the National Assembly to use their powers to put Total Energies on notice for breach of its ethical obligation of sincerity.
To go further…:Â
- Download the detailed report relayed to MP Jérémie Iordanoff, former Vice-President of the National Assembly delegated to the supervision of representatives of interests, so that he can refer the matter to the ethics officer of the National Assembly
- Download the detailed report transferred to the High Authority for the transparency of public life
- Download the emails sent in 2024 to Matignon by interest representatives from the fossil fuel sector, including TotalEnergies
- Lire notre note d’analyse de 2025 « Quand la corruption paralyse la transition é©cologique »
- Read our 2019 report  For better supervision of lobbying »Â
- 5° of article 18-5 of law n° 2013-907 of October 11, 2013 (for lobbying actions targeting members of the executive), dash 9 of the Code of Conduct for interest representatives in the National Assembly (for actions aimed at deputies), Article 6 of the Code of Conduct for interest representatives and persons carrying out influence activities on behalf of a foreign principal in the Senate ↩︎
