Lobbyism Archive - Bernd Hüttemann

Lobbyism in war, in a pandemic… seriously? My first proseminar in presence takes place this time in Passau and Berlin. Space for orientation on how lobbyism works in the multi-level system even in extreme times of tension and danger. The focus is on Berlin’s role in EU lobbying. In the engine room of German European policy, there is of course a balancing of interests. An extreme example is the massive and successful lob

bying of Russian state-owned corporations on German energy policy despite opposition in Brussels and other capitals. At the same time, the Bundestag, under public pressure, has started to regulate lobbying, following the EU model. How much further will the Europeanisation of interest balancing and legislation go? The students try to solve all this with me in the proseminar EU Lobbyism in Berlin and Brussels on the basis of theories and empirical research.

Together with Elena Sandmann I recently evaluated the midfield between citizens and political stakeholder. 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. Read more

Tag: Lobbyism

Lobbyism in Berlin and Brussels – University teaching 2022

Framing the midfield between citizens and EU policy actors.