Chapter 13 Interest Groups and the European Union

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Chapter 13Interest Groups and the European Union

• Cini (ed.) European Union Politics, 2nd edition
• OUP Online Teaching Resources

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Structure of the Lecture

• The EU Institutions and Interest Groups
• EU Democracy and Civil Society
• European Interest Groups
• The Europeanization of Domestic Interests

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The EU Institutions and Interest Groups

• An institutionalist perspective
• Political opportunity structure
• Four characteristics of the EU
• Dynamic political agenda
• Complex institutional system
• Reliance on consensus building
• The legitimacy deficit

4
The EU Institutions and Interest Groups

• Multiple points of access to EU policy-making
• The Commission, the EP, the Council and the Court
• National political institutions

5
EU Democracy and Civil Society

• The democratic deficit and the participation of
  civil society in EU policy-making
• Active institutional engagement
• The Commission, the Economic and Social
  Committee, and the Committee of Regions
• To collect information and gather expertise
• The merits of civil society participation

6
EU Democracy and Civil Society

• Sceptical institutional arguments
• The European Parliament
• Sectoral interests and democratic legitimacy
• The lack of transparency

7
European Interest Groups

• Huge number of interest groups in Brussels
• Large companies, national interest groups,
  regional bodies, commercial public affair and law
  firms

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European Interest Groups

• EU and national groups
• EU interest groups
• National interest groups
• Business and diffuse interest groups
• Business interest groups
• Diffuse interest groups

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The Europeanization of Domestic Interests

• What causes the Europeanization of domestic
  interests?
• Opportunities and risks posed by EU policies
• Changing environments of domestic interest
  mediation

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The Europeanization of Domestic Interests

• Europeanized interest groups and domestic
  institutions
• States as gate keepers of EU policy-making
• Private actors are empowered by the EU
• Disaggregate public and private sectors?