Interest Representation in Europe – earlier Yearbook articles now available online

IEP Berlin

If you want to dive deep into the yearly state of European integration, there is no better source than the Jahrbuch der Europäischen Integration (Yearbook of European Integration) published by the Institut für Europäische Politik e.V.

In the upcoming 2024/25 edition (to be released this autumn), my new chapter will focus on EU interest representation. I cover developments from June 2024 to June 2025: the ongoing controversies around the Transparency Register, the rising relevance of strategic corruption, the reconfiguration of lobbying after the 2024 European elections, and looming cuts to EU funding for non-state organisations. My conclusion looks ahead to 2025/26 – from omnibus packages on cutting red tape to the “Readiness 2030” defence programme and the next Multiannual Financial Framework. A key question will remain how EU institutions can safeguard integrity and transparency under the pressure of geopolitical influence.

Good news: my earlier yearbook contributions are now freely accessible in the online archive of the Institut für Europäische Politik (IEP). Anyone interested in tracing the evolution of #LobbyEU since 2012 can find them here:

👉 Jahrbuch-Archiv – Institut für Europäische Politik

Unfortunately, the most recent editions are still missing – publishers remain reluctant to embrace open-source publishing, even when it comes to tax-funded projects largely carried by volunteers. Still, the archive already offers a valuable opportunity to follow continuity and change in EU lobbying over more than a decade.

Autumn in the European Lobby

The Qatar Gate scandal now seems distant, and it is increasingly unlikely that Eva Kaili will face trial in Belgium for her alleged involvement in the corruption case. However, the integrity system within European lawmaking has developed. Although not far enough for many, it is moving in the right direction. In two handbook chapters on Lobbying in the European Union and in my recent yearbook article Interest Representation in the EU, I provided some overviews of the EU’s integrity framework.

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