EU Policy-Making & Interest Representation in Brussels

1. EU Policy-Making &Interest Representation in Brussels Justin Greenwood

2. The EU Public Affairs Players • 1500 EU civil society interest groups (pto) • 170 national groups with Brussels offices • 350 large firms • 143 Public Affairs Consultancies • 125 Law Firms • 171 offices of regions in Brussels • ?? informal networks • 150 missions from non-EU member states

3. Business cross sector sectoral specialist/issue Workers Unions Professions Citizen interests consumers Demographic, etc Cause groups, e.g. Environmental Human rights World Trade Public sector employers regional & local government Civil Society Interest Groups

4. Why do Civil Society Interests Mobilise at EU level? • 50%+ of all member state legislation now ‘made in Brussels’ • costs and benefits of regulation (EU focus) fall upon specific constituencies of interests • something for all in consensus-oriented system • in response to actions by other interests • easy access • European Commission needs them...

5. “The Commission has always been an institution open to outside input. The Commission believes this process to be fundamental to the development of its policies. This dialogue has proved valuable to both the Commission and to interested outside parties. Commission officials acknowledge the need for such outside input and welcome it.” SEC (92) 2272 final, p.3 • i.e., the European Commission • has too much to do & not enough technical expertise for policy making & executive functions • is remote from everyday citizens • needs political support viz. member states • needs interest groups to help exercise democratic functions through checks & balances & keeping system accountable • thus openly welcomes all comers: no access barriers, though prefers representative EU (wide) groups

6. “we are terribly understaffed and over stressed. My division is responsible for 44 Directives and 89 Regulations; monthly mail which requires a substantial answer numbers about 350 pieces. And I have about nine staff to deal with all of this. The corresponding admin in the USA has 600 people” - Commission official, cited in Burston Marsteller, 1991/Coen, 1997

7. “At the beginning, (the Commission official) is a very lonely official with a blank piece of paper, wondering what to put on it. Lobbying at this very early stage therefore offers the greatest opportunity to shape thinking and ultimately to shape policy. The drafter is usually in need of ideas and information and a lobbyist who is recognised as being trustworthy and a provider of good information can have an important impact at this stage..once the Commission has agreed a proposal and sent it to the EP/Council, scope for changing the proposal exists only at the margin” - Commission official Bob Hull, in Mazey and Richardson, 1993, p.83

8. Do Interest Groups help the EU acquire more Powers? Case Study1) The ERT and the Single Market • ERT: invited CEOs from Europe’s largest firms • a ‘big issues’ agenda setter the Commission helped to create in 1980s • credited with the impetus which resulted in the 1986+ ‘single market’ • threatens large companies will move to US if member states fail to deliver • ButSingle Market unanimously supported by member states!

9. Do Interest Groups help the EU acquire more Powers? Case Study 2) European Women's Lobby & Gender Equality • Extension of EU powers in gender equality arose from a ‘campaign’ by the EWL via Spanish govt (Helfferich ((ex EWL General Sec)) & Kolb, 2001) • Difficult for member state governments to resist • EWL purposefully built up by the Commission

10. The Commission Guide to more Integration • Choose an irresistible topic • Fund a conference to kick start an interest group and nurture it with funds/functions • Interest group uses its member network to carry demands to member state governments

11. Do EU interest groups act as 2 way channels of communication? • EU interest groups play ‘insider’ politics • Difficult to organise ‘mass politics’ • Consensus EU basis means incentivises dialogue • Spend time on advocacy not member involvement • Mostly associations of national associations • Almost none include individual citizens • Some find difficulty in getting members involved • Limited evidence of mechanisms of member accountability • Recent attempts for transparency of funding & members • Some are Commission agents • Commission spends €1bn p.a. through interest groups

12. EU Interest Group Types

13. Is the EU dominated by one type of interest? • EU has multi areas of decision making • different arenas provide checks & balances • insulates any one from pressure (Grande, 96) • high access for all = low impact for any one • Consensus politics – something for all • Interest group system of ‘checks & balances’ • funds for citizen groups to counterweight business • substantial transparency of EU decision making designed for groups to help keep EU accountable & checks/balances • e.g. 2001 Regulation on access to documents • Web based procedures for consultation & policy-making are designed to create a ‘level playing field’ • Responses transparent, Commission pledge to identify how consultation factors influenced decision making. • Competition between fragmented business interests

14. Citizen Interests have flourished • in attempts to reach out to citizens “all the talk in Brussels these days about the role of ‘civil society’ and the need to consult more widely is not just words” – Tony Long/WWF, E!Sharp, April 2003, p.66 • Good Resource levels of some citizen groups • Some are international movements • well co-ordinated in cognate ‘families’ • Patronage by EU institutions • inc. EP as ‘champion of the people’ • Close relations with ‘families’ of interest groups • Incentivised by Commission practice to favour representative groups • difficult for groups whose legitimacy is based on other criteria (eg Birdlife), and for democratic practice geared at injecting plurality of views in political system • Enshrined rights to participate in new constitutional Treaty (as a way of supporting democratic development) • Article 47/4 – Citizen initiative

15. Citizens’ initiative provision: Art 47/4 • ‘Not less than 1 million citizens who are nationals of a significant number of member states, may take the initiative of inviting the Commission, within the framework of its powers, to submit any appropriate proposal on matters where citizens consider that a legal act of the Union is required for the purpose of implementing the constitution. European laws shall determine the provisions for the procedures and conditions required for such a citizens’ initiative, including the minimum number of member states from which such citizens must come.’

16. What about the Workers? • Unions • ETUC (European Trade Union Confederation) key • some sectoral unions strong, e.g. metalworkers, public sector, woodworkers • difficult discourse of wealth creation to work within • ‘social Europe’ now an opportunity. • over dependence upon Commission with few results? • Professions • Plagued by national differences in outlook & composition

17. Regional & Local government interests • 171 Brussels offices • Highly varied in resources and functions • limited ability to lobby for regional funds • Some significant ‘sectoral’ interests • e.g. Eurocities • Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions • Dense thematic networks • Committee of Regions uninfluential

18. ‘Lobby Guides’ advise... • Develop long term relationships • get in early to shape thinking • Technical (business) or political (citizen) • try to bring added value (but be brief) • & credibility • “Never cheat, never become personal - Brussels is a village and people will know” • “There is always somebody just waiting to demonstrate your lack of taste or honesty” • “Personal gifts will raise suspicion that you are not convinced of your own arguments” Forum Alpbach 2004/H.Glatz • Form alliances • EU politics is consensus based • Strong European public interest focus

19. Commission Director/Generals- “What we like from our dialogue partners” • fresh ideas & timeous engagement • hard evidence: reliable CoBA impact data • monitoring & whistleblowing • flexibility, dialogue & ‘can do’ • acknowledgement of other stakeholders • crisp short papers with priorities & options • polite, participative, responsive, timely • single access point, wide range members • advice on how legislation is working

20. New & Aspirant Member States • Weak traditions of civil society in transforming democracies are disabling in EU interest group system • EU influences imported back to new MS by groups • EU priority to develop presence in Brussels • Enlargement initiatives & regional programmes previously used to provide temporary funds to support regional umbrella presence • Concerns about system overcrowding lead to preferences for collective actors • Key entry portals • Business: EuroChambres to develop know-how & observe • Unions: ETUC • Citizen: ECAS • Most groups welcome members from aspirant MS

21. Conclusion: EU Policy-Making &Interest Representation in Brussels • Organised civil society interests can have a significant role in regulatory type fields • Organised system aimed at pluralism • ‘capture’ is rare • some corporatist type relationships • Not all EU politics is based around organised civil society interests!