Internet of Things & Commerce... Un peu d'histoire...

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The first chamber of commerce was founded in 1599 in Marseille, France.[1][2][3][4] Another official chamber of commerce would follow 65 years later, probably in Bruges, then part of the Spanish Netherlands.[5]

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in: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamber_of_commerce

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobbying:

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With the Enlargement of the European Union in 2004, lobbying practices have taken a further step, bringing in not only a lot more players and stakeholders but a wide range of different political cultures and traditions, as well.[citation needed] According to Austrian Member of the European Parliament ("MEP") Hans-Peter Martin, the value of lobby invitations and offers each individual MEP receives can reach up to €10,000 per week.[17]

In 2003 there were around 15,000 lobbyists (consultants, lawyers, associations, corporations, NGOs etc.) in Brussels seeking to influence the EU’s legislation. Some 2,600 special interest groups had a permanent office in Brussels. Their distribution was roughly as follows: European trade federations (32%), consultants (20%), companies (13%), NGOs (11%), national associations (10%), regional representations (6%), international organizations (5%) and think tanks (1%), (Lehmann, 2003, pp iii).[18][19]

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_tank
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_tank