Danish EU policy and civil society organisations

1
Danish EU policy and civil society organisations

• Kenneth Haar
• Corporate Europe Observatory

2
Overview

• The basic asset the power of the Danish
  parliament how did that happen?
• How is EU policy made in Denmark?
• What tools to influence EU policies are available
  to CSOs?
• Some examples of CSO campaigning on EU issues

3
Why is the Danish Parliament so strong a factor
in EU policy making?

• Goes back decades
• Widespread scepticism in the population and in
  major parties
• Referendums

4
...and referendums!!!

• 1972 On membership of the EEC
• 1986 The single act (single market)
• 1992 Maastricht (wrong answer)
• 1993 Maastricht minus 10 (right answer)
• 1998 Amsterdam treaty
• 2000 The euro
• ??

5
How is EU policy made?

• The government has to get a mandate from the
  Committee on European Affairs on all major
  issues.
• If a member of the Committee wants a debate in
  plenary, it will be debated and decided there.

6
Work in progress..

• The work of the committee expands with the EU,
  and includes even comitology
• Meetings are now open and can be followed on the
  internet.
• Other subcommittees are now supposed to address
  all relevant issues within their competence, and
  state their opinion to the Committee on European
  Affairs.

7
The CSO toolbox

• Governmental advisory groups
• Consultations (in writing)
• Documents for the Committee or for plenary
  debates
• Presentation at Committee meetings
• Conferences in Parliament
• Lobbying to initiate debate inside parliament

8
Some examples

• Poisonous chemical softeners in rubber (Council
  of Consumers, 2000-2005)
• WTO and EU trade policy (development NGOs
  1999-2005)
• Economic Partnership Agreements (ATTAC, Africa
  Contact, IBIS, 2007-2009)
• Labour rights and collective bargaining (trade
  union movement, 2007-?)
• Financial Transactions Tax (Robin Hood Campaign
  2011-?)

9
Every right to be scared..