The article sheds light on the relation between political influence of interest groups in the EU legislative process and pluralist democracy in the European system of multi-level governance. In this context, the article critically examines whether the representation of societal interests can be analytically distinguished from (corporate and private) lobbyism. It is the article’s main thesis that interest representation can only contribute to more democracy and legitimacy in the EU system of multi-level governance if all corporate, governmental, and legislative actors involved in the decision-making process commit themselves to greater transparency.
Hüttemann, Bernd; Sandmann, Elena (2020): Im Mittelfeld der Europapolitik: Zivilgesellschaft, Lobbyismus und Partizipative Demokratie im Mehrebenensystem der EU. In: Forschungsjournal Soziale Bewegungen 32 (4), S. 557–569. DOI: 10.1515/fjsb-2019-0061.