There's no need for lobbying by manufacturers since the consortiums are directly controlled by the manufacturers. If the brand looses value, they switch to the next one.

Why would it come at the expense of long-term profits? The EU has given a legal mandate to USB-IF, you literally are not legally allowed to use anyone else's connection standards. What "profit loss" could possibly occur under a literal government-mandated monopoly requirement?

Display standards aren't quite there yet but HDMI is effectively a monopoly in the living-room space and most people use them for mass-market (low-end) monitors that are the most common. Effectively it might as well be a mandate, especially when DisplayPort comes with much shorter cable lengths/etc that require equipment reconfiguration.

My belief is that more individuals would be seeking out Thunderbolt accessories over USB.

When you're the only game in town, brand doesn't matter so much.

display port?