1. Interests
Slides to support Chapter 14 of The Government and Politics of the European Union, 7th ed., by Neill Nugent

2. The Context
In all democratic political systems, interests attempt to influence the taking and implementation of public policy
Democratic political systems vary considerably with regard to the level and nature of interest activity
‘Brussels’ is rapidly acquiring the reputation of being the second largest lobbying centre after Washington

3. Why are Interests so Active at the EU Level?
Decisions of importance to them are increasingly taken at EU level.
The EU’s policy portfolio is now such that there are few policy areas in which there is not at least some EU involvement.
Most interest activity is naturally where there are the most developed EU policy areas: SEM-related policies, the CAP, and cohesion policies

4. Types of Interest
Interests can be classified in various ways. In the EU
context, the principal interests are of the following types:
multinational business firms
Eurogroups: which themselves come in many
different forms – though most represent economic
interests
national lobbies, of many different forms
third countries can be thought of as interests

5. Channels Utilised
The channels used by interests depend, in most decisional
contexts, on three key factors:
the location of power
the formal opportunities provided for inputting into decision-making
the receptivity of decision makers to lobbying and consultative Activity
Taking these in turn …

6. Channels Utilised: the Location of Power
Varying powers are exercised by the EU’s decision making
and taking actors. For example:
the Commission is especially influential re policy formulation and implementation
the Council and EP are crucial re decision-taking
national agencies in the member states
undertake most ‘front line’ policy implementation

7. Channels Utilised: Formal Opportunities for Inputting
EU processes offer a number of formal opportunities for
interests to input and lobby.
For example:
the extensive system of consultative committees that is clustered around the Commission
the Commission’s increasing use of consultative policy papers
‘open’ EP hearings

8. Channels Utilised: Receptivity of Decision Makers
There are great variations in the ‘accessibility’ of key policy
actors. For example:
The Commission is relatively open, not least because it often needs information from interests
The European Council and the Council of Ministers are difficult to access as institutions
The EP can be approached in various ways
The representation of interests is a key part of the rationales of the EESC and the CoR

9. Influence Exercised
A number of factors combine to determine the influence
exercised by interests in any particular situation.
These factors include:
the dependence of the Commission on interests for information and cooperation
the ability of interests to forge working relationships with national governments
the extent to which interests are well resourced
the extent to which interests are ‘representative’

10. Interests and Democracy
The relationships between interest activity and democratic
principles have long been analysed in political science. The
‘customary’ two key questions arise in the EU context as
much as any other:
does interest activity contribute to democracy by allowing for participation beyond elections?
does the ‘unbalanced’ nature of interest activity undermine democracy?