The Influence of Business Associations in the European Decision Making Process - A Case Study of the European Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Mémoire (de fin d'études) , 2000 , 108 Pages , Note: 1.5 (A)

Politique - Sujet: Union européenne

Overview

Research on the role of Eurogroups in general and on European business associations in particular is very rare.“There has been a rapid expansion of such activities [lobbying] over the last few years. However, although this phenomenon has attracted a lot of attention, there is surprisingly little systematic research on the topic” (Andersen and Eliassen 1991). In contrast to the role of interest groups in the US legislative process comparatively little is known about their role in Brussels. Only a minority of the great many Eurogroups has been under examination by researchers so far. While the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) has attracted considerable attention research has neglected the European confederation of employers and industry, UNICE. Hardly any studies are available on the multitude of business associations; practically no research has been carried out on the role of consultants, law firms and multinational corporations.

Objective

The objective of the case study is to determine the influence EUROCHAMBRES as a business association representing SMEs has on the European decision-making process. It will provide answers to the following questions: What are business associations? What is the European decision making process? What are the criteria and factors that determine the influence of interest groups on the policy process in general and on the EU decision making process in particular? What are the indicators that tell us whether an interest organisation can meet these factors of influence? In how far does EUROCHAMBRES meet the criteria that are relevant for influence in the European decision making process?

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• 1. INTRODUCTION.
• 1.1 INTEREST GROUPS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION.
• 1.2 RESEARCH ON THE ROLE OF EUROPEAN BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS IN THE EUROPEAN DECISION MAKING PROCESS.
• 1.3 THE ARGUMENT.
• 1.4 METHOD AND METHODOLOGY
• 1.5 STRUCTURE.
• 2. THE OBJECT OF RESEARCH...
• 2.1 A DEFINITION OF BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS
• 2.2 THE FIVE STAGES OF THE EUROPEAN DECISION MAKING PROCESS
• 3. THE INFLUENCE OF INTEREST GROUPS IN THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS
• 3.1 THE THEORETICAL APPROACH
• 3.1.1 The Pluralist Explanation of Influence.......
• 3.1.2 The Neo-Corporatist Explanation of Influence.
• 3.1.3 Summary.......
• 3.2 THE REQUIREMENTS OF EUROPEAN POLICY MAKERS
• 3.2.1 The Dependence of the EU Decision Making Process on Interest Groups...
• 3.2.2 Political Resources Required by Policy-Makers.
• 3.2.2.1 Information
• 3.2.2.2 Legitimacy.
• 3.2.2.3 Miscellaneous Resources.
• 3.2.3 Summary..\n
• 4. EUROCHAMBRES' INFLUENCE IN THE EUROPEAN DECISION MAKING PROCESS.
• 4.1 AN OPERATIONALISATION OF THE CONCEPT OF INFLUENCE.
• 4.2 THE ASSOCIATION OF EUROPEAN CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY - AN OVERVIEW
• 4.2.1 Origin and History of Chambers of Commerce and Industry
• 4.2.2 EUROCHAMBRES - Origin and Mission....
• 4.3 THE AVAILABILITY OF POLITICAL RESOURCES WITHIN EUROCHAMBRES.
• 4.3.1 Technical Expertise.
• 4.3.1.1 General Introduction.
• 4.3.1.2 The Availability of Technical Expertise.
• 4.3.2 Budget....
• 4.3.3 The EUROCHAMBRES Network
• 4.3.3.1 General Introduction.....
• 4.3.3.2 Representativeness of the Network...\n
• 4.3.3.3 The Comprehensiveness of the Network.
• 4.3.3.4 The Usefulness of the Eurchambres Network to Policy Makers..\n
• 4.3.4 EUROCHAMBRES' Access to the Decision Making Process.
• 4.4 THE MOBILISATION OF POLITICAL RESOURCES - THE ORGANISABILITY OF EUROCHAMBRES.
• 4.4.1 The Degree of Horizontal Organisability.
• 4.4.2 The Degree of Vertical Organisability.
• 4.5 SUMMARY
• 5. CASE STUDIES OF EUROCHAMBRES LOBBYING
• 5.1 EUROCHAMBRES' ROLE IN THE EUROPEAN SOCIAL DIALOGUE.
• 5.1.1 Social Policy at European Level
• 5.1.2 The European Social Dialogue under the Protocol on Social Policy
• 5.1.3 EUROCHAMBRES' Position in the Social Dialogue
• 5.1.4 EUROCHAMBRES' Lobbying in the Context of the Social Dialogue
• 5.1.5 Shortcomings of the Lobbying Campaign
• 5.1.6 Summary.
• 5.2 EUROCHAMBRES AND THE ISSUING OF CERTIFICATES OF ORIGIN.
• 5.2.1 Certificates of Origin......
• 5.2.2 The Position of the National Chamber Associations.
• 5.2.3 The Certificates of Origin Meeting..\n
• 5.2.4 Summary.
• 5.3 EUROCHAMBRES' LOBBYING IN THE GATEWAY TO JAPAN PROGRAMME
• 5.3.1 Exporting to Japan
• 5.3.2 Prologue - The European Court of Justice Ruling
• 5.3.3 Fighting for a legal basis.
• 5.3.4 The EUROCHAMBRES lobbying campaign
• 5.3.5 Summary.

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This paper examines the influence of business associations in the European decision making process, focusing on the case of the European Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EUROCHAMBRES). The study aims to understand the role of interest groups in shaping EU policy and to analyze the strategies and resources employed by EUROCHAMBRES to influence decision making.

• The role of interest groups in the European Union decision-making process.
• The theoretical frameworks of pluralism and neo-corporatism in explaining interest group influence.
• The resources and strategies employed by business associations to influence EU policy.
• The specific case study of EUROCHAMBRES and its influence in areas such as the European Social Dialogue, certificates of origin, and the Gateway to Japan program.
• The challenges and limitations faced by business associations in shaping EU policy.

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

• Chapter 1 introduces the context of interest groups in the European Union, outlining the increased significance of EU institutions and the growing role of interest groups in influencing decision making. This chapter also defines the research question, methodology, and structure of the study.
• Chapter 2 examines the object of research, providing a definition of business associations and outlining the five stages of the European decision-making process.
• Chapter 3 explores the theoretical framework for understanding the influence of interest groups in the decision-making process. It analyzes the pluralist and neo-corporatist explanations of influence and discusses the requirements of European policy makers, including their dependence on interest groups and the political resources needed.
• Chapter 4 focuses on EUROCHAMBRES, analyzing its availability of political resources, including technical expertise, budget, and its network, as well as its access to the decision-making process. It also examines the degree of horizontal and vertical organisability of EUROCHAMBRES.
• Chapter 5 presents case studies of EUROCHAMBRES lobbying in three key areas: the European Social Dialogue, the issuing of certificates of origin, and the Gateway to Japan program. Each case study analyzes the lobbying efforts of EUROCHAMBRES, its successes, and challenges.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

The main keywords and focus topics of this study include: European Union, interest groups, business associations, decision making process, influence, pluralism, neo-corporatism, political resources, EUROCHAMBRES, lobbying, European Social Dialogue, certificates of origin, Gateway to Japan program.

• Université: Free University of Berlin (Otto Suhr Institute Berlin)
• Note: 1.5 (A)
• Auteur: Uli Bethke (Auteur)
• Année de publication: 2000
• Pages: 108
• N° de catalogue: V31473
• ISBN (ebook): 9783638324731
• ISBN (Livre): 9783638723862
• Langue: anglais
• mots-clé: Influence, Business, Associations, European, Decision, Making, Process, Case, Study, European, Chamber, Commerce, Industry