Representing Interests in the European Union

Interest groups in multiple streams: specifying their involvement in the framework

“…When considering interest groups' inclusion in the EU policy communities, some authors suggest that community formation is an effect of long-standing partnerships between actors working on similar issues (Mazey and Richardson 2007 ;Greenwood 1997 ;Rietig 2014 ). However, others provide evidence that EU interest groups form or participate in short-term, ad hoc coalitions which are more suitable to the supranational, dynamic EU environment and its issue arenas (Pijnenburg 1998 ;Warleigh 2000 ;Rozbicka 2013 ).…”

Private governance across multiple arenas: European interest associations as interface actors

“…Given the peculiarities of the European multi-level system, namely the heterogeneity of institutions and the fragmentation of policy-making within segmented policy-networks, it was argued that the organization of European interests not only follows the fragmented institutional environment, but also contributes to its increasing complexity (Eising/KohlerKoch 1994). It is only recently that the validity of these general arguments has been increasingly called into question, in view of the broad heterogeneous picture of private interest organization at the level of the European Union (EU) (Aspinwall/Greenwood 1998;Bartle 1999;Greenwood 1997;Pijnenburg 1998).…”

“…Besides the growing relevance of issue-specific alliances, forums, and informal joint ventures by large firms and industry associations (Cram 1997;Green Cowles 1998;Greenwood 1997), we can observe various attempts to establish formal umbrella associations which encompass and integrate heterogeneous business interests across sectoral boundaries.…”

Interpréter l'Europe : éléments pour une relance théorique

“…L'implication nécessite de revenir absolument sur la question de la représentation des intérêts. Si l'on dispose maintenant d'études très détaillées sur les relations organiques des groupes intérêts avec les institutions nationales et européennes 12 , force est de constater l'absence de véritables travaux sur les effets de ces groupes sur les modèles nationaux et locaux de représentation. Il convient ensuite d'approfondir les problèmes spécifiques posés par un système politique qui est résolument tourné vers la résolution des problèmes " problem solving ".…”