Dirk Gotink is a Dutch Member of the European Parliament representing the New Social Contract (NSC) party within the European People's Party (EPP) group. Prior to his election in 2024, Gotink worked for 17 years in European politics, including as spokesperson for the EPP and assistant to Manfred Weber.Follow Dirk Gotink:https://www.instagram.com/dirk.gotinkhttps://x.com/dirkgotinkTimestamps00:00 Introduction01:45 Who is Dirk Gotink? 05:02 How Dirk got Elected 06:47 How the Parliament Controls the European Commission 10:42 How Lobbying is Financed in Brussels 19:15 USAID 21:42 How to Fix the Lobbying Situation 27:38 The 1 Trillion Euro Budget of the EU 31:28 Why People Stopped Trusting Governments 36:33 Transparency 40:21 Why Politics is Slow 42:50 Mercosur Agreement 44:20 ReArm Europe 48:48 What the Priorities of the EU Should Be 56:31 Final Thoughts About the Podcast Sole liability rests with the Member financing this political and information activity. The European Parliament is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained herein.