ABSTRACT
It is possible to present two contrasting pictures of the EU policy process. Some of the institutional developments and behavioural patterns in the EU policy process are quite familiar to students of national policymaking. In terms of institutional structures, there is a heavy concentration of power, in the policy formulation process, within the bureaucracynamely the Commission. As we have argued elsewhere,2 the Commission constitutes a kind of bourse, acting as a market for policy ideas and innovation within the EU policy process. Thus, there is no doubt that the bulk of lobbying effort is directed at the Commission, just as at the national level civil service departments and administrative agencies are generally the most common target of interest groups. The unwritten rules of lobbying within the EU are also quite similar to those at the national level. The most successful groups are those that exhibit the usual professional characteristics-namely sufficient resources, good advance intelligence of intended policy change, and strong contacts with bureaucrats and
politicians. Above all, they have the ability to provide policy-makers with sound technical advice. The key resource for any group is a reputation for expertise and reliability. It is no surprise, therefore, that one of the main features of the EU policy process is increasing resort to the use of committees of various kinds as institutions for the formation of policy. One consequence of this trend is that consultation with groups is also becoming increasingly institutionalized and regularized. The concentration of policy formulation in the hands of a bureaucracy and the nature of the ‘rules of the game’ may mean that certain types of groups are likely to be more successful than others. Moreover, there are some peculiar EU institutional features-particularly the continuing importance of the member governments-which may reinforce the existing bias evident in the national policy process in favour of technically expert and well resourced producer groups. Multinational firms in particular enjoy some special advantages because of their technical expertise and their ability to co-ordinate lobbying across the member states. In addition, the opportunities such firms have to relocate their operations (in contrast to trade unions, for example) provide them with a most effective sanction which may be used against both national governments and the EU itself.
