Late last year, when the European Union’s landmark climate bill was nearing its legislative conclusion, Avril Doyle, the MEP who was overseeing one of its most contentious elements, complained about being besieged by lobbyists.

If Ms Doyle’s lament was an exaggeration, it was a small one. For, unlike other MEPs, she took the novel approach of recording every lobbyist who paid a visit while she served as rapporteur for the part of the bill that revamped the EU’s emissions trading system. The tally came to 168.