Lobbying in EU

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Lobbying in EU

• Thomas Prorok

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Key facts

• 3 000 special interest groups of varying types in
  Brussels.
• 10 000 employees working in the lobbying sector.
• In the United States, nearly 35,000 registered
  lobbyists for Congress alone.
• Within this total there are more than 500
  European and international federations.
• About 50 offices in Brussels representing
  countries, regional and local authorities.
• 200 individual firms with direct representation,
  and about 100 consultants (management, and public
  relations).
• 100 law firms in Belgium specializing in
  Community law and many more in other countries
  (both member states and beyond).

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Definition

• Lobbying is the professional practice of public
  affairs advocacy, with the goal of influencing a
  governing body by promoting a point of view.
• Lobby is in front of the debating chamber of
  the House of Commons.
• The EU helps form, design, implement and/or
  influence approximately 80 of all economic and
  50 of all political decisions taken in the
  Community today.

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US Example
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ROLE I - Monitoring

• Observing the developments in upcoming EU
  legislation
• European Commission (sole right of initiating EU
  legislation)
• European Parliament (particularly in areas where
  it has co-decision making powers with Council).
• Feed back this information
• Modified proposal to the citys/regions benefit
• Practical advice
• Good knowledge about the EU institutions
• Know the principal players in a specific area
• Knowledge about which Directorate Generals (DGs)
  are linked to a specific work area.
• Are there (formalised) relations with local
  authorities?
• Make the officials being depend on you.
• Informal relationships with key people helps.

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ROLE II - Lobbying

• Being able to explain the local/regional position
  to EU decision-makers with a view to the
  local/regional position being understood and
  adopted at an early stage
• How to get the right information to the right
  person at the right time
• The focus of this activity is on European
  Commission/European Parliament officials and
  Members of the European Parliament.
• Briefing papers, position papers, media
  management
• Clear and short position papers in easy
  accessible languages.
• constructive propose alternative solutions,
  formulations, compromise texts, as seems
  appropriate.
• Follow up to the papers.
• meetings to offer to explain the submission or
  ascertain whether, and if so where, its
  incorporation would cause problems.
• circulate your paper and meet other DGs,
  officials from other EU-institutions, the media,
  embassies and NGOs.
• If there are lobbyists working against your
  preferred solution, it is worth getting to know
  them.

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ROLE III Networking Promoting

• Networking
• Build ties with other regional and local
  representatives and with officials of the EU
  Institutions via social, as well as formal
  personal contacts
• Its not always what you know but who you know
• Promoting
• Bridges or contact points for intercultural
  relations.
• quite expensive and therefore organised by the
  larger offices.
• Offices also promote their EU knowledge in the
  respective municipality/region.
• Training courses, conferences and round tables,
  regular newsletters, traineeships, study visits
  to the EU institutions.
• Practical advice
• media should be made aware that the office has
  something to say.
• find out which journalists work in what areas.
• Agence Europe, the daily news bulletin on all EU
  policy areas.
• Agence Europe is read by almost everybody who
  deals with European issues. It is important to
  get position papers and press releases printed.
• An influential weekly newspaper is the European
  Voice (an offshoot of The Economist).

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ROLE IV Contacts and Sources

• Informal and formal contacts
• Dont contact the relevant official until you are
  thoroughly prepared to deal with the issues
  likely to trouble them.
• The administration in Brussels is YOUR
  administration.
• Civil servants in Brussels are much more open and
  approachable and interested
• Basic information is published by the Commission
  in the EU Official Journal supplement
• Regular reports
• About specific policy areas by the European
  Commission, the reports of the European
  Parliament, the Committee of the Regions and the
  Social and Economic Committee
• Green Papers
• address specific policy areas of significant
  importance.
• overview of the status quo and encourage
  discussion amongst the civil society on possible
  changes.
• White Papers
• include precise legal proposals from the
  Commission.
• These reports are especially important for local
  governments,
• submit opinion papers directly to the Commission
  without the national government.
• annual legislative programme of the Commission

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ROLE V Advocacy and influencing

• The lobbyist crafts a strategy and organises the
  campaign, but it is the client who primarily
  delivers the message directly to politicians and
  officials.

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European Commission

• Participation in Commission working groups
• Thousands of working groups.
• Invitations to participate are sent by the
  Commission to the Permanent Representatives.
• national government places these experts.
• Send an expert on the delegation of a European
  organisation (i.e. CEMR)
• These organisations have reserved seats on the
  working groups.

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European Parliament

• Good relationships with individual MEPs and their
  assistants are always helpful.
• Knowledge about the EP Committees and relevance
  for a specific area.
• rules of procedure of the Parliament - which MEP
  sits in the co-ordinators group of a specific
  Committee.
• MEP who passes on information about decisions
  taken at co-ordinators meetings.
• about upcoming reports, the future rapporteurs
  and their political groups or about planned
  public hearings and the possibility of experts
  being invited.
• Maybe representatives from home could be invited
  to speak at hearings.
• Ideas for hearings can easily be put forward to
  MEPs.
• The office has to try to influence the reports
  the MEPs are writing.
• MEPs are also helpful in formulating written or
  oral questions to the Council and the Commission
  on specific issues.
• A good assistant might be as important as the
  MEP.
• Officials in the EP are often as important if
  not more so than MEPs.
• If they know the office has something to say and
  is well prepared they will contact the office
  for further input.

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Council

• Council of the European Union is not easy to work
  with since it represents national interests only.
  
• distant relationship with local and regional
  governments.
• Council decisions must be lobbied for/against in
  the MS.
• Once a topic has reached the Council, influence
  is very limited.
• Nevertheless Secretariats mailing list for
  relevant meetings.
• Who in the Permanent Rep. is dealing with which
  area.
• Possibility of finding out which issues will be
  high on the next Presidencys agenda.
• If ones own country holds the next presidency
  then lobbying for specific topics to be put on
  the agenda presents a possibility.
• This work starts as long as 18 months before the
  presidency commences.
• Lobbying to be carried out at home rather than
  in Brussels.
• although the Permanent Representation will also
  be making an input, which could perhaps be
  influenced.

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Practical Advices
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Practical Advices
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Practical Advices
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Practical Advices